The Minty Five Star Adventure
by Minty-Fivestar
Summary: Follow the story of Minty, a playful Mew, and Five Star, a Mewtwo different from all others. Both uncertain of where the future will take them, but ultimately finding that their destinies are one and the same...
1. Part One: I am a Mewtwo

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure**

Revision 1.5 (11/10/04): More reformatting. Basically tweaking the psychic tags all the way to the 11th chapter.

Born from a tiny burst of inspiration I received freshman year when I was sick with something… This story has become one of my most personal stories, as it is a (very) creative novelization of my Pokémon Yellow game. You know, when you go down into the Unknown Dungeon and capture Mewtwo? That's right. It's been dragged out for a long time since then (and I'm still currently slaving away over it), but I hope you enjoy it every bit as much I do.

Basically… this is the story of my original character, Samantha McPhoenix (the Pokémon League Grand Master who gets into more than she should, and consequently into lots of trouble and clichéd situations as a result); Five-Star, her now-loyal Mewtwo; and Minty, her adorable little baby Mew; and how they all met. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, but I own my original characters, places, and story ideas.

**Part One: I am a Mewtwo**

Once I opened my eyes for the first time, I knew I was different.

I could see, through the liquid and glass of the tank I floated in, several apprehensive scientists, giving me hopeful and fearful stares. Not a good way to start life off.

/What is this?/ I asked them with my psychic power. /And… what am I?/

The scientists explained that I was the fourth of a series of cloned Pokémon, Mewtwo. I was cloned from the DNA of a Legendary Pokémon called Mew. They also told me (very hesitantly) that all three of the other Mewtwos had escaped from them before.

This made me feel disappointed. It was bad enough that I was a clone, not a real Pokémon, but to be the fourth of a type of clone… I was not my own self. Was I?

_And yet… this all seems as if it were meant to happen…_ I thought. As the scientists continued on about how they wanted to study me and uncover the powers I possessed, I soon realized why the other Mewtwos had escaped. Like me, they had probably felt angry with these scientists for treating them like a laboratory experiment—nothing more. But I would be patient. I would learn from these scientists for a time, but, like my predecessors, I, too, would escape the confinements of this lab, and search for my path in life. Why was I created? Life is not meant to be simply a study experiment. I must have a deeper purpose…

And one day, I'll discover it.

* * *

_"As of two days ago, the last of the Team Rocket scientists involved in cloning experiments were discovered and arrested. The data of their experiments was confiscated by Pokémon League and locked away forever. This illegal cloning cannot be allowed. Lives cannot be created to simply be used for greed and power._

_"One thing that worries me, though, is the Pokémon itself, Mewtwo. The last one they created appears to have escaped a week or two ago. Now there are four of them roaming the world. I pray that they do not upset the balance of Pokémon and humans, as that could spell doom for all…"_

-From an e-mail to Professor Oak from Lance Scott, Leader of Pokémon League

* * *

With my escape from the labs, I gained the freedom to search the world for the answers to my questions. But the quest hasn't been enjoyable. I certainly can't talk to humans, much let them see me. And the wild Pokémon I encounter fear me as soon as I speak to them. I am different, you see. I can't associate with real Pokémon.

I am forced to hide myself from both people and Pokémon alike, trying to piece together the meaning of my existence alone. It is a gloomy and lonely process, and I grow more depressed and angry as the days go by. Perhaps I was never meant to be.

One day, I find a cave, full of powerful wild Pokémon. Trainers call it the Unknown Dungeon. Only the best of them are allowed to enter. They see it as a test of their skills.

A test… yes. I shall enter the cave, and hide in the deepest, darkest end of it. I will wait patiently for the day when a true Pokémon Master proves himself or herself worthy of getting through the numerous Pokémon that dwell within the cave, and making it to me.

Perhaps then… I will find the answers I seek.

* * *

Obviously, that was about Mewtwo… if you're confused on all this four Mewtwos stuff, I suggest you read Pokémon Neo. Otherwise, just accept that there were four Mewtwos created, not just one.


	2. Part Two: I am a Mew

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure**

Yeah, here's the next part, this time about Mew…

**Part Two: I am a Mew**

Hello, I'm a Mew, in case you didn't know. See my long, pink tail and my cute, blue eyes? Cool, huh? Hee hee hee! Yes, I'm the Legendary Pokémon, Mew. I only come to those who are pure of heart and desire to see me and be my friend. Hee hee! But there aren't a lot of people like that, now are there?

I'm pretty young, as far as Mews go. I lay dormant in a bubble at the bottom of the ocean for many years. When I came out, I knew I had to do something important. I didn't know what it was, but my psychic powers told me to head to a place humans called Cerulean City.

Ok, I'm flying there. Whee! Going through clouds is fun! Poof! First they're there, now they aren't! Oh, hi, little Pidgey! Hope I didn't scare you. Ooh, another cloud. Poof! Yay! Hee hee hee!

Well, flying's fun, but I have a job to do. I fly all the way across the region called Kanto and make it to Cerulean City. Wow, it's a pretty city! Ooh, there are a lot of people here too. I'll just sit on this building, and wait until I figure out what it is I have to do. Hmm? Will someone see me? Of course not, I made myself invisible, silly! Hey, those trainers have scary-looking Pokémon. That one has an Alakazam, and the other has a Scyther. Hmm… they seem to be talking about Pokémon League. I wonder what that is. …Oh, I see. Pokémon League is where all the toughest Pokémon trainers are. Apparently, if you have a green pin that looks like a triangular-symbol, you're a Pokémon Master. Sounds cool. Ooh! A butterfly. It's so pretty! Flutter flutter flutter… I wish I had wings. It would be fun to flap them up and down and float on the breeze…

Aagh! Snap out of it! You have a mission! Hmm? Hey, look at that girl way over on the outskirts of the city. She's going into a cave. She has a Pikachu on her shoulder, and the Pikachu's wearing a purple bandanna! I wonder if I could have a bandanna… nah, that would look kinda silly on me. Anyways, the girl… there's something… drawing me to her. Why? I don't know. The girl has brown hair, and pink sunglasses, and… hey, she has a Pokémon League pin! Does that mean she's a Pokémon Master? Cool!

That cave she's going in looks scary. Should I follow her? Hmm… I can sense some strange, psychic force within the cave. What if she's in danger? Nah, she'll be fine. I'll just wait here till she comes back.

What? How do I know she'll be all right?

I don't know. Maybe cause I'm a Mew? Oh, a Hoppip just flew by! Cute…


	3. Part Three: I am a Pokemon Master

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure**

Obviously, this part is about Sam…

**Part Three: I am a Pokémon Master**

My name is Samantha McPhoenix. I'm 14-years old. Once I was a trainer hopeful, just like countless others my age. Now I'm a Pokémon Master.

Now, you're probably thinking, "Hold on! How can you be a Pokémon Master? What makes you so special?" To tell the truth, I really don't know. I do just what every other good trainer does. I love and trust my Pokémon, and train them diligently and well. I guess the difference is that I'm willing to be "touched" by the Pokémon I meet. I look at the types and stats, but also beyond them as well. It's hard to explain, but I can say, for a fact, that I live and breathe Pokémon 24/7.

At this particular time, I'm standing in front of the mysterious Unknown Dungeon. Only people who have defeated the Elite Four can enter it, so I'm assuming I'm qualified. After all, I've beaten both the Elite Four and Lance. They say that there are very strong Pokémon within the cave, and there are also rumors that some super-powerful Pokémon dwells in the cave as well. Which is why I'm here in the first place.

I desire to own, or at least battle, a Legendary Pokémon. And that's what I feel is at the back of the cave. A Legendary Pokémon. After proving myself skilled enough to beat some of the strongest trainers in the world, I want to prove myself worthy enough to stand up to a Legendary. Sounds sort of selfish, I know, but if you were me, you'd understand.

The stupid thing is, I only have four Pokémon with me: Joey, my Pikachu; Bluewave, my Blastoise; Firestorm, my Charizard; and Heishin, my Nidoking. I probably should have six Pokémon with me, but these are my strongest and my best. They're the only ones that have a chance against a Legendary Pokémon. Besides, I trust them all. They won me the battle to become one of the Grand Masters; they'll win me the battle against this Legendary.

"Ready to go?" I asked Joey, who was sitting on my shoulder. Joey was my very first Pokémon, and although he was the smallest of my team, he was also quite possibly the bravest.

"Pika," he replied, nodding fiercely. I smiled and gave him a pat on the head.

_Let's see…_ I thought, going over the supplies in my backpack in my mind. _Hyper Potions, Revives, Full Heals, tons of Ultra Balls… and the Master Ball._ I knew the Master Ball could come in handy for catching the Legendary Pokémon, but I would only use it if I felt it was right. I'm not a greedy person. If I don't feel that I deserve the Pokémon, and if the Pokémon doesn't want to be owned by a human, fine. I have morals, ya know.

As I prepared to enter the cave, my cell phone rang all of a sudden. Rolling my eyes, I took the phone off of my belt and studied the number on the screen. _It's gotta be Lance,_ I thought, pressing the button to turn the phone off. I knew exactly what he was calling for. I had hardly left anything back at Pokémon League to indicate where I had been going except for a short note that had said: "I'll be out all day, see y'all later. Sam." Lance was real big on the security thing at Pokémon League for its Masters, but I also suspected that he was fond of me, like a big brother. I appreciated his concern for my safety, but this was more important to me than anything. He would chew me out for sure, but maybe I'd be able to impress him by catching a Legendary.

I was about to enter the cave again, but I paused when I got the strange feeling that someone was watching me. I glanced around me, but there wasn't anyone in sight besides Joey. I frowned for a minute, but then I shrugged. Whatever.

With a deep breath, I entered the Unknown Dungeon, ready to face the toughest challenge I'd ever had.

* * *

FYI: A "Grand Master" is different from a "Pokémon Master" because the Grand Masters are only what the Elite Four, Lance, and anyone who defeats both are considered. Pokémon Masters are the Gym Leaders and anyone who just defeats the Elite Four. Both are pretty good titles to have.


	4. Part Four: Through The Unknown

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure**

**   
Part Four: Through The Unknown**

After about half an hour of wandering through the cave, I could safely assume that the Unknown Dungeon was even tougher than I had imagined. These wild Pokémon were pretty tough—in computerized level dominations, in the high 50s and early 60s. My own Pokémon were about level 65, but fighting wave after wave of wild Pokémon was starting to wear them down. I had used up a couple of Hyper Potions and Revives, and one or two Full Heals on them already. Joey was using some electrical energy to light up the dark, damp cave, but it was still creepy. The scariest parts of this were the Golbats swooping down at us, and the occasional Graveler that threatened to explode. Not fun at all.

And the ever-increasing problem that was starting to become more and more noticeable was the risk of getting lost.

"Joey, I'm going to have to admit it to you—this really, really, sucks," I commented, nearly falling down a flight of stairs that were hidden in the dark. I was a bit confused at this. Stairs in a mysterious cave? I had pondered this each time I found a flight of them. In fact, the whole cave was set up in a very maze-like, orderly fashion, making me wonder if someone hadn't been here first, a long time ago. I would have thought Pokémon League had done something here, if it wasn't for the fact that Lance had honestly told me he had no idea what was down here. He'd never tried to explore it before. I guess I was the first.

"Pika pika," my Pokémon partner replied in agreement. Then he shivered.

"Ya cold, buddy?" I asked, picking him up and snuggling him. "We must be really deep down. I hope this is the last level."

Since Joey was cold, I kept Heishin out instead to battle random wild Pokémon, which he did eagerly. Several battles later, we came to an underground river I assumed we had to cross. I recalled Heishin and chose Bluewave. "Bluewave, let's follow the waterway," I said, jumping onto his back.

"Blastoise," he replied in acknowledgement, speeding through the water with ease.

I lowered the light pink sunglasses on my face and peered over them, admiring the stalagmites and stalactites and other odd rock formations around me. I didn't need sunglasses in a cave, of course, but I was afraid to put them in my bag or on my shirt collar. They might be dropped or broken, and I loved these sunglasses. I had thoughtlessly left the case in my room back home in Viridian City. Hmm… I ought to visit home sometime soon. Maybe I could show my family this cave sometime, when my Pokémon were really strong and these wild ones wouldn't be a problem. That would be really cool. I turned to Joey, who was still shivering.

"You ok, little buddy?" I asked him, hugging him close to me.

"Pika pika. (Sure I am.)" he said. But I could tell he was still cold. I was cold too; I had goosebumps up and down my arms. I rolled down the sleeves of my blouse down, but that still did nothing to help. Grr… I should have brought a sweater.

Joey cocked his head suddenly, and his ears went up. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Ka pi chu pika pi-chu pika pika pik. (I can sense something really strange up ahead.)" he replied, frowning.

I glanced ahead as Bluewave reached land. I didn't sense a thing, but of course, I wasn't a Pokémon. "Maybe it's the Legendary," I replied cheerfully. We jumped on Bluewave and recalled him into his Poké Ball.

As we continued through the cave, I took this opportunity to train up my team against the many wild Pokémon in our way. We never miss an opportunity to get stronger, my Pokémon and I. Lots of people think I'm too tough on my Pokémon, because I'm so serious most of the time. It's true I expect the best out of them at all times, and our training sessions can be pretty rough. But you can ask my Pokémon yourself—we made a promise together to always try our hardest until the end to reach the top. I never would do something unless they were willing, because I love them all very much and would risk my life for all of them. And I never get angry if they lose, cause I know they tried their very best.

After several minutes of walking and battling, and Surfing another waterway on Bluewave, I reached the end of the cave. Much to my surprise, there was a large archway, which led into a dark room. Now I understood what Joey meant when he said he sensed something strange. The odd feeling blew over me like cold air as I hesitantly approached the room. Joey shook his head. "Pika pika… pikachu pi pik a pikachu… (Sam… I don't like the looks of this…)"

I paused, and kneeled down next to him. "You don't have to do this," I told him. "You always have that choice. Remember…?"

* * *

_12-year old Samantha McPhoenix gave one final look back at her hometown of Pallet, shifting her backpack nervously. At long last, she was finally on her way to become a great Pokémon trainer. Maybe even a Master! At her side, a young Pikachu sniffed the air and looked around, just as nervous as she was to be off on his first adventure._

_"So Joey, are ya ready to go?" Sam asked her Pokémon partner. Joey smiled in response. "Pika!"_

_Sam had to smile back at him. Professor Oak had told her that Pikachus were common Pokémon to reject their Poké Balls, and Joey, apparently, was one of those rebels. When she received him and took him home the first night to get to know him, she had suggested that, to make him unique, he get a name. To her surprise, the Electric-type had not only liked the idea, but also informed her (with lots of enthusiastic pantomime and rapid Pikachu-talk, which Sam hadn't completely got the gist of yet) that he would pick his name himself, and that she could just help him with ideas. _

_Poor Sam had gone through as many nicknames as she could think up, but all of them were rejected, one by one. She had gazed around her room for inspiration, and her gaze had fallen on her 'NSync poster on the wall, 'NSync being the group she had had a 12-year old obsession with (the poster was now tacked up in her room in her new house in Viridian City). Being fresh out of ideas and patience, she named Joey as the Pikachu's next choice. Besides, she thought Joey was a cute name anyway. _

_Surprisingly enough, the Pikachu liked the name right away, and when she told Professor Oak the next day, he had laughed and told her she had a winner. He was fond of telling Sam that the more headstrong a Pokémon was, or the more it struggled when being captured, the more likely it was to be a strong Pokémon in battle, providing you could deal with the Pokémon's stubbornness. Sam was delighted with the professor's comment, and she wanted to make sure Joey lived up to his words._

_"Joey, before we start on this journey, I want you to understand something," she said to her Pokémon partner, kneeling next to him._

_"Pika?" Joey cocked his head curiously._

_"We both want to be winners, don't we?" Sam asked. Joey nodded, and she smiled. "Then we'd better make a promise to each other. After all, if we're not working together, we'll never make it to the top."_

_"Pik a pika chu, pikachu pika?" Joey replied. Sam thought over his words for a few moments before realizing he had said something to the effect of "That's a good idea, so what's the promise?"_

_"Well, my promise to you is that I will always ask you if you want to do anything I want to do beforehand. I'd never do anything that you didn't want to do. And of course, I would do the same for any of our future teammates." Sam held out her hand to Joey with a smile._

_Joey blinked at her for several moments, and then smiled as well. "Pika cha ka chu pi pik a pi, ka pik a cha chu pi kachu pichu. " Sam had to think for a while before she realized he had said: "And I'll be willing to do whatever it takes to help you win, by trying my best and never giving up." He took her hand, and they both shook on it._

_"Well," Sam declared, getting to her feet. "Here we go. The start of our first adventure."_

_"Pika!" Joey exclaimed happily, jumping on her shoulder. With a smile, the young trainer began the walk down Route 1 to begin her journey, a journey that would ultimately lead her to the title of Grand Master._

* * *

Joey stared fixedly into the dark room for several moments before finally looking up at me. "Pika pika pi a pik a Pikachu pi chu cha a pi cha chu. (There's no way I'm letting you go ahead alone.)" he said. "Pikachu cha pik pika, pik pi a pi chu pika pika cha pik? (You're my best friend, could I live with myself if you were hurt?)" 

My eyes softened. "You don't have to… I don't want you to be hurt either…" I murmured.

Joey shook his head. "Pika pik cha pikachu pi a pik, pika pi cha. Pikachu pika pichu pi pik. (I'll be with you all the way, no matter what. And I know the rest of the team says the same.)"

I patted Joey's head with a slight shrug. "I should know better than to argue with you," I said. "All right. Let's go then." I swallowed hard, ignoring the rapid pounding of my heart, and entered the dark abyss.

* * *

Don't start lecturing me about "clichés" or anything like that… ok? I've heard it plenty of times, including from myself and my muses. Besides… clichés wouldn't have become clichés if they weren't good story concepts… right? Right. 


	5. Part Five: I am The Dragon Master

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure**

Lance's turn to get involved. I've always liked Lance, and I always will.

**Part Five: I am The Dragon Master**

My name's Lance Scott. I'm the Dragon Master, Champion of the Elite Four, and Leader of Pokémon League.

I'm also reallllly upset right now.

"Dang it, Sam, why can't you ever listen to me?!" I moaned, as I ran outside the main building of Pokémon League. Fortunately, Pokémon League cell phones always have a tracking device on them in case of emergency, so I found out soon after she rejected my phone call that she was in Cerulean City. I selected a Pokéball and released my prized Dragonite, running my hand back through my red hair, like I always do when I'm nervous. "Dragonite, we've got to get to Cerulean City as soon as possible. Got it?" I asked, jumping on his back. Dragonite nodded, and took off instantly. As we flew in a northeasterly direction, I thought of all the ways Sam's dad, Jan McPhoenix, would mutilate me if anything had happened to his daughter.

_I know you're headstrong, and I know you love adventure,_ I thought to the sky, and to wherever Sam was. _But don't you ever think of the people who worry about you 24/7? Including me?_

A wind gust made Dragonite swerve, and I grabbed onto the base of his wings a little tighter. I nervously thought of what Sam could be doing. I mean, sure, maybe she was just hanging out at Bill's house, or visiting the Cerulean Gym, or something harmless like that. But I seriously doubted that. I could bet a hundred dollars that she was checking out the Unknown Dungeon. Why else would she turn off her phone instead of answering me? I had great faith in her; she was an excellent trainer. But who knew what was lurking in that cave? I couldn't dare take that risk.

Especially since I had more than one reason for keeping an eye on her…

* * *

_Lance Scott was only 19-years old, but he was already considered one of, if not the, most powerful Pokémon trainers in Pokémon League. He was a Dragon Master from the town of Blackthorn, and had once been the fourth member of the Elite Four. When the League gathered several months ago to elect a new champion to replace the former one who had retired, Lance had been voted in hands down. With election as Champion of the Elite Four, he had also gained the responsibility of being the Leader of all Pokémon League._

_But for right now, Lance wasn't stressing himself too much yet. He was overseeing an open house in Pokémon League, and many curious trainers or would-be trainers had come to see what the big leagues were really like. As Lance tried to be unnoticeable by standing behind a pillar (he had a profusely large fanbase ever since he was elected to champion status), he jumped about two feet in the air when he noticed a little girl standing next to him._

_"Whoa, you scared me!" exclaimed Lance. The girl looked down and blushed, mumbling an apology. Lance kneeled down in front of her and gave her a friendly smile. "Can I help you with anything?" he asked gently._

_The girl shrugged. "I was wondering… if I could have your autograph?" _

_Lance grinned. "No problem." He pulled a pen out of his coat pocket and took the pad of Surf Mail stationary that she held out to him. Opening the pad, he asked, "Who should I make this out to?"_

_"Me," the girl replied, with a giggle. "My name is Samantha McPhoenix."_

_"Samantha, huh? Lovely name," Lance commented, getting the pleasure of seeing her blush again as he signed his signature. _

_"Most people like to call me Sam for short," she said shyly. "A lot of people like to call me PichuStar too."_

_Lance looked up. "Why is that?"_

_"Well, my family lives in Pallet Town, and we live not too far from Professor Oak," Sam explained. "My little sister Nicole and I often go to his lab and help him take care of his Pokémon, mostly the baby Pokémon. When the professor discovered the baby form of Pikachu, Pichu, he needed someone to help take care of it, and I was the one who got Pichu to really warm up to people."_

_"That's very impressive," Lance said, writing a little bit more and giving Sam the pad back. "How old are you? Are you on a Pokémon journey yet?" _

_"I'm 11, going on 12 in a few months. When I'm 12, my parents said I could start my journey," Sam replied proudly. "I think that since I had so much fun with Pichu in the professor's lab, I'll choose a Pikachu as my first Pokémon."_

_Lance nodded and stood up. "Samantha, do you think you'll become a Pokémon Master?" he asked._

_Sam looked up at him and gave him a serious stare. "I don't just think so, I know so, sir. I have this big feeling that I have the ability to be great with all Pokémon."_

_Lance was impressed. "You feel that strongly?"_

_"With all my heart."_

_The young Dragon Master didn't know what to say. "Well, maybe we'll see each other in the stadium someday, battling for the chance for you to be a Grand Master," he finally replied._

_Sam gave him a fixed stare. "Well, I'm sorry to say so, but I think I'll beat you. Maybe not the first time, or second time, but I think I'll be able to beat you someday." As soon as she said that, an odd feeling went through Lance, as if he had just had his fortune told to him. _

_"Perhaps you will," he said softly. _

_"Sam! Sam, come on, let's go see the Pokémon in the petting area!" Lance and Sam turned to see a little 6-year old girl, who looked very much like Sam, run towards them. _

_"Coming," Sam said, walking towards her. She looked back at Lance and smiled. "That's my little sister Nicole. She wants to be a trainer too. Professor Oak says if she helps him extra hard in the lab, he'll allow her to start her journey a little early."_

_Lance nodded. "Well, I look forward to seeing you again, Sam."_

_Sam smiled. "Thank you. And thanks for the autograph sir."_

_"Lance," Lance corrected. "Just Lance."_

_"All right. Bye, Lance!" called Sam, as she went off with her sister. Lance looked after her and smiled as she paused to look at the autograph he had given her. As she read it, her face turned red again, and she gave a shy last smile back at Lance before leaving. Lance grinned, knowing what he had written._

_'Best wishes from Lance Scott to Samantha McPhoenix, my most promising and sweet young fan.'_

* * *

_Two years after Lance had met the young Samantha McPhoenix, he knew that her prediction of herself had come true. True to her word, a year and a half after that meeting, Sam defeated Lance in the second battle they had with each other, and most every other battle they had after that. She had become a terrific young trainer, and she got stronger everyday._

_One slow summer day, Lance decided to get up and visit the McPhoenix's, who had moved to Viridian City a few months ago. He hadn't seen the family of trainers in a while. Sam was always in search of new, rare Pokémon, Jan, her dad, had also become a Grand Master a month ago and usually was training around Indigo Plateau, Nicole was working on her Pokémon journey, and even Sam's mother was taking care of a few Pokémon she owned, including Mr. Mime, Clefable, and Vaporeon. _

_After a ten-minute drive to Viridian City on his motorcycle, Lance parked in the driveway of the McPhoenix home on the outskirts of the city, and headed up to the front door. He rang the doorbell, and after a few moments, Sam's mom opened the door._

_"Hello, Mrs. McPhoenix," Lance greeted politely. "How are you?"_

_She smiled. "Hello, Lance. If you're looking for Sam or Nicole, they went to the museum in Pewter today. Jan's here though."_

_As she said this, Jan himself came to the door, and smiled as well. "Hey, Lance. What's up?"_

_"Hey, sir. I'm doing all right. Just wanted to see how you all were doing." Lance turned as he heard a noise behind him to Clefable and Mr. Mime come up to the door with some bags of groceries in their arms. They passed Lance into the house and followed Mrs. McPhoenix to the kitchen. _

_Lance grinned again, and turned to leave. "Well, I guess I'll be going now, if you're busy."_

_"Oh, not at all." Jan paused a moment, and then spoke some more. "Hey Lance, can you do me a big favor?"_

_"Sure. What is it?"_

_"Well… I'd appreciate it if you kept an eye on Sam and Nicole for me, that's all," Jan responded. "Especially Sam."_

_Lance cocked his head. "I usually do try to keep an eye on those two. But tell me why you want me to keep an eye on Sam especially."_

_"She's just turned 14, you know that. And I'm worried she'll become a little too overconfident of herself. Don't get me wrong, she's very intelligent, and I really don't think that she'll do anything stupid. But what with her and her dream of finding and catching a Legendary Pokémon of her own, the way I caught myself my Zapdos, I'm afraid she'll try something a little reckless."_

_"Well…" Lance thought about this. "Haven't you tried talking to her?"_

_"Of course. But I always worry about her… And I can't always be there to keep an eye on her. Could you help me?" Jan gave him a pleading gaze. "You're one of her close friends, right? I know she'd listen to you."_

_Lance was silent for a while. Finally, he nodded. "Of course. On my life, I'll take good care of her."_

_"Thanks, Lance. I trust you to do that."_

* * *

Remembering that day, which was only about three months ago, I felt sick. If Sam was hurt somewhere, I'd be the one to blame. And the thing was, it wouldn't be others blaming me, it'd be me blaming myself. I have to admit, she's like a little sister to me. The entire McPhoenix family is something close to being my second family.

And I wasn't about to let one of them get hurt, either.

* * *

  
...It's just a friendship thing, Lance and Sam's relationship. Maybe a brother/sister thing, but that's it. I'm not that weird... 


	6. Part Six: Face To Face

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure **

**   
Part Six: Face To Face**

I entered the blind darkness slowly, my heart beating so hard I could almost swear it was audible. Not only was I venturing into the unknown, but I was also venturing into the unknown in a place where no one knew I was there. I'll admit it—I was scared. Wild notions of zombies and other horrifying creatures of the dark leaping out at me filled my mind. _Stop scaring yourself,_ I berated myself. _There's nothing to be afraid of…_

Suddenly, a row of torches along each wall flared to life, making me give an involuntary shriek. As my eyes adjusted to the bright light, I gasped.

The entire chamber looked similar to an ancient temple of sorts. Carvings of Pokémon covered the walls. Casting a quick glance at one wall, I could recognize several of them: Gyarados, Tangela, Scyther, Raichu… the list went on and on. There were even carvings of new Pokémon, like Pichu, and even more of Pokémon I didn't recognize. I realized that a picture of every Pokémon on Earth must be recorded on the walls of this mysterious room.

But something else immediately caught my attention. Something that made me jump in amazement.

At the very end of the chamber, illuminated in the moonlight, stood a tall, purple Pokémon on a raised, stone platform with stairs. Its long tail waved behind it slowly as it studied a picture on the wall. The same eerie feeling I had felt earlier radiated from this Pokémon like waves of a Sweet Scent attack—except it certainly wasn't a sweet feeling.

Joey's cheeks sparked defensively, making the hairs on my neck stand up a little. I petted him soothingly, and began to approach the strange Pokémon. Though I was afraid, I was also very curious as to what the Pokémon was. I had never seen anything like it.

When I had come within a few yards of it, the Pokémon suddenly turned to give me a piercing, unnerving stare. Its eyes were glowing with a purple light, and I immediately recognized it to be a Psychic-type. The Pokémon gave me a very slight smile, and floated off the platform to land in front of me. I took a step backwards, and Joey jumped off my shoulder and stood between me and the strange Pokémon for protection.

/Hello,/ the Pokémon said in a telepathic voice, startling me. I can immediately tell you are a skilled trainer. How else would you be able to reach me here?

"Thanks," I replied quietly, relaxing a little. "Um… excuse me for asking, but what kind of Pokémon are you?"

The Pokémon frowned. /I do not expect you to know,/ he replied. /I am not any sort of Pokémon. I am a clone. I am one of four Mewtwos./

"Mewtwos?" I repeated. "Then… would that mean… that you're cloned from…"

/A Mew? Yes./ Mewtwo turned to look back at the wall carvings, and then beckoned me to look at the picture at the end of the room. /Come and see./

I approached the platform and climbed the stairs to examine the picture. It was an ancient image of Mew, the pink, cat-like Pokémon that had always fascinated me. I thought it was adorable, and it was one of my favorite Pokémon. Around Mew's carving were the images of every other type of Legendary Pokémon. Some of them I knew; many of them I did not know at the time but later learned; and many of them I still do not know.

/These are all of the Legendary Pokémon,/ Mewtwo told me. /Even I do not know all of their names. But, I have learned much about the world of Pokémon from studying the pictures./ He pointed to a scene far up on the wall, which narrated a story of something that had happened long ago. /From what I can tell, this cave used to be a temple for humans and Pokémon to celebrate the balance and peace between them. Every 30 years, a special ceremony was held to celebrate the birth of a new baby Legendary Pokémon here. But one day, some greedy humans tried to steal the egg of Articuno during one of these special ceremonies. The Legendaries were enraged, and ever since, no human has seen the birth of a Legendary. After recording the terrible event on these walls, humans abandoned the temple, and it now lies forgotten./

I was amazed. "Wow… that's incredible… I came to fight a Legendary, and instead I find the history of Legendaries…" I whispered.

Mewtwo turned his head to me. /Is that why you came here?/

I nodded. "I thought that within this cave, I could find a Legendary Pokémon to prove my trainer skills against… and perhaps capture…"

/I see… Well, I am no Legendary, but I am a clone of one, and I hope that counts for something,/ Mewtwo said. I watched him turn his head to look at the carvings on the walls again. He was silent for a while. /I myself came here to have my test./

"Test?" I repeated. "What test?"

/I vowed that only the strongest trainers would be worthy enough to help me in my mission. My mission is to find out who I am, and perhaps this test will help me,/ he said. /Long ago in this ancient hall, tournaments were held to teach humans and Pokémon about themselves through battling./ Mewtwo gazed at me for a few moments. /Perhaps our battle will do the same for us./

Joey and I gave each other a look. Mewtwo had been waiting here, in this ancient underground temple, for the chance to battle a worthy opponent! And that opponent was to be me. A nervous fear gripped me once more. I had great confidence in my Pokémon, but I could tell that Mewtwo would be a difficult Pokémon—or rather, Pokémon clone—to fight.

"So, you wish me to fight you?" I asked, trying to sound confident.

Mewtwo gave an unpleasant smirk, and suddenly, he leaped (with the help of his psychic powers) over my head, landing between me and the doorway. /I do not merely wish it,/ he told me. /I must insist./

"Pikachu pika pik pika? (Are you threatening us?)" demanded Joey angrily.

/You came here to battle, did you not?/ Mewtwo asked. /Let us make a deal: If you defeat me, which I highly doubt will happen, you may capture me. If I win, you must stay here forever, and assist me in whatever I decide to do./

Deep down, I was frightened by the idea of being stuck down here forever if I lost. But my battle spirit flared, and I gave Joey a smile. "What do you think, Joey? Up for it?"

Joey nodded, his eyes bright. "Pika pi! (You bet!)"

"All right, Mewtwo," I said, facing him boldly. "You want a battle? You've got it. But don't think you'll win. My Pokémon and I know and trust each other completely. We won't lose."

/I do not need a human to help me win my battles,/ snapped Mewtwo, his eyes glowing angrily. /I was created to be more powerful than any Pokémon. Your skills may be good, but you've never faced a clone before./

"You have more faith in the fact that you are a clone than in yourself!" I said. "No Pokémon who trusts in itself, its team, and its trainer will ever lose, not as long as it has faith. I doubt you've ever had a real battle with a trainer before, Mewtwo. How do you know what you're talking about?"

I saw him flinch as I said this, and I realized that I must have struck home. /Enough talk,/ he said. /Let us battle. But first… you must tell me your name./

I swung my backpack off my shoulder and lowered my sunglasses with a cheeky smile. "You can call me Samantha McPhoenix," I said.

Mewtwo nodded. /Very well, Samantha. Let us see which of us is correct about our battling./

"You'll see soon enough," I quipped back at him. I kneeled down and opened my backpack, using several Hyper Potions and a Revive on my Pokémon my attaching the potion pack to the button on the side of each one for a few moments. I attached another potion pack to a spray top, and used it on Joey. All of my Pokémon were now at top health. Last but not least, I took the Master Ball out and placed it on my belt, ready to be at hand if and when I needed it.

I looked up and nodded at Mewtwo, who had been waiting patiently. He nodded back, and we moved to each end of the room. It was time for the "Legendary Pokémon" battle to begin. But the circumstances were nothing like I had imagined. And it was too late to turn back now.

But, I wasn't planning on backing down. And I wasn't planning to lose to Mewtwo, either.


	7. Part Seven: Weakness

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure **

**   
Part Seven: Weakness**

/A free-for-all battle, then,/ I told the young girl I faced, my eyes lit with psychic energy. She thought she could defeat me? She had no idea of what she faced.

"A free-for-all. Agreed," she replied. I watched her close her eyes in concentration, as her hand touched a Poké Ball on her belt. Suddenly she smiled, and took the Poké Ball firmly in her right hand. "Let's start this off! Go, Heishin!" she yelled, throwing her Poké Ball into the center of the floor. The chamber was momentarily brightened as it flashed, releasing a powerful-looking Nidoking. It roared in determination.

_How foolish,_ I thought to myself. _Why should she use a Nidoking? Poison-types are weak against my Psychic power._ I lowered myself to the floor and watched her scornfully. Perhaps she didn't know what she was doing. Perhaps she wasn't as skilled as I thought.

Her eyes lifted up to meet mine, and I was startled by the amount of determination I saw in them. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure that she was ignorant of the type match-up. Maybe she had chosen her Nidoking on purpose.

Was she trying to make fun of me?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Suddenly, this battle did not seem as easy as I had predicted after all.

* * *

"Ready to go, Heishin?" I called to my Nidoking, feeling pumped for the battle. I knew that Heishin had a type disadvantage, but I was counting on him to weaken Mewtwo. How? Well… that's a surprise… 

Heishin growled and poised himself for battle. We had been through so many battles, ever since the day I had caught him as a feisty Nidoran M , that we knew without saying what the basic strategy would be. That kind of trust between a trainer and a Pokémon can make all the difference in battle.

I watched Mewtwo carefully, and suddenly—he struck. His eyes grew purple, and Heishin was lifted several feet off the ground by psychic power. As my Poison/Ground-type struggled in the air, Mewtwo casually tossed his head, and Heishin was flung into the nearby wall.

"Heishin! You ok? Try Body Slam!" I called to him. I wasn't sure if that would work or not, but I needed him to get within range to fire off my special attack. Will (a really sweet Psychic-type trainer who was applying to become a member of the Elite Four, and Lance's best friend—from where, I have no clue) had called it Heishin's trump card as he watched us training one day. I'm not sure exactly what that meant. But maybe it would make sense if I actually knew what the heck the card game he was referring to was, and how to play it. Call me ignorant, I guess.

Mewtwo didn't say anything, but I could detect his scorn. He must have thought I was insane. Any strong Psychic-type could avoid or stop a physical attack like that. What was I thinking?

Oh, wouldn't you like to know…

* * *

Foolish girl. Body Slam me? Was she serious? I take back my last comment. This would be too easy. Once more, I called upon my vast psychic power and lifted her Nidoking up into the air, and flung it aside carelessly. I stared down at her, into her fiery greenish-brown eyes. 

/Heishin, eh?/ I asked, a note of scorn apparent in my telepathic voice.

"Mm-hm. A variation on the Japanese word for warrior," she explained, her arms crossed. "Why?"

/I was just curious,/ I replied. /But against me, he is not a warrior, but an obstacle. One I will eliminate easily./

Her frown deepened. "You don't need to insult him. Try fighting him one-on-one, with none of your psychic-ness. Then you'd be in trouble."

/I was not created to fight physically,/ I replied tartly, noticing her Nidoking was back on his feet again. I was a bit surprised it was still in condition to fight, but I hid it from the girl. I didn't need her to poke fun at me any more than she already was.

"Heishin, ya still up for more?" she asked her Pokémon. The Poison/Ground-type nodded, giving me a hateful look. Did this Pokémon trust its trainer so much, that it was willing to battle on even if it meant defeat? How pathetic. I couldn't imagine giving myself to another creature—least of all a human. I'd learned plenty about the deceit and greed of humans. It puzzled me as to why other Pokémon could become slaves to their influence.

"All right, Heishin, attack!" she commanded. Instantly the Nidoking sprang at me. Another Body Slam? Foolish girl. I waited for a moment to ram a barrier of psychic energy into the Pokémon when it got within range. A terrible mistake.

"Now, Toxic!" she yelled. Toxic? What was Toxic? Confused, I tried to bring up a shield around me, but that Nidoking was—still is—faster than any Nidoking I've ever seen before. Not that I've seen lots of Nidokings.

With a roar, it spit a nasty glob of purple venom at me, covering most of my left side. I repelled the rest of the Nidoking's charge with a psychic blast, and tried to shake off the sticky, burning goo. It strangely seemed to disappear; evaporate almost. For a moment, I wondered if the attack had failed. But then, I began to feel dizzy and sick, and the areas where the Toxic had hit burned painfully. I felt frightened, for a spilt second. What had she done?

"Toxic is the most powerful poison attack known to Pokémon," the girl interjected softly, sounding almost sorry. "I'm afraid you'll be feeling the effects of it more and more as the battle goes on."

My fright was immediately replaced by anger, and hatred. /How dare you!/ I snapped, feeling the painful, burning poison hurting me under my fur.

"I'm sorry," she admitted, "but I make it a point not to hold back in battle." She turned back to her Nidoking. "Heishin, Horn Attack!"

I rose up to prepare a counterattack, but I gasped in pain as the effects of Toxic really began to take effect. It felt as if I were on fire. Her Nidoking took advantage of this, and attacked me. I was rammed in the side full-force with the blunt side of its powerful horn, and I flew backwards. Only my psychic powers prevented me from hitting the floor.

"You've… never been poisoned before, have you?" the girl asked. "Never felt pain? You're more isolated than I thought."

Isolated? I didn't know what she meant. All I could think of was how badly my injuries hurt. The Horn Attack had left a reddened, deep scrape across my side, and if I hadn't known any better (thanks to my psychic abilities), I would have thought my ribs were broken or something.

"You've put too much pride in your power, your psychic abilities," she continued. "Being a clone, you haven't seen the world for what it really is. But… that doesn't mean you're any different from other Pokémon."

/Yes, it does,/ I hissed. /Unlike your pathetic Pokémon, I will not be a slave to assist humans in their meaningless dreams and goals./

Her eyes narrowed. "I meant that you can still feel pain, feel sadness, feel joy, and feel fear. Everyone, both humans and Pokémon, feel those emotions. Doesn't that mean something to you?"

I didn't reply.

"You wanted answers, didn't you?" she yelled. "What more do you want?"

I want to know what my purpose is, I replied irritably. Her continuous comments infuriated me. I hated how she, a little human girl, was lecturing me on what my faults were. On how I was wrong.

"Body Slam!" she snapped, reverting back to the battle at hand. Her Nidoking growled and charged forward, hoping to catch me off guard again. But I was prepared this time. I formed a ball of psychic energy in my hands, and shot it at her Pokémon; with all the force of my hate, my fear, and my anger behind it. The Poison/Ground-type was flung backwards and hit the floor in front of her. I expected to get some pleasure out of seeing her face contort with concern for her Pokémon, but instead, I felt strangely… disappointed. I had defeated her first Pokémon, so why did I feel like the loser?

I watched her kneeling next to her weakened Nidoking, whispering words of praise to it and stroking his muzzle. I felt bitterly cheated of what should have been sweet victory. Why did I feel this way?

Maybe… I was wrong. And maybe she… was right…

No.

I refused to submit to this human. I would prove to her how different I was from a normal Pokémon. How superior I was.

And then I would be the one lecturing her.


	8. Part Eight: Fury and Innocence

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure   
**

**   
Part Eight: Fury and Innocence**

"Good job, Heishin," I whispered to my now-weakened Nidoking, recalling him into his Pokéball. Although I tried to reassure myself that it was all right, that it was all part of my strategy, it still stung a little to see my Pokémon defeated. No trainer likes to see that.

As I debated to myself on which Pokémon I ought to use next, I glanced up at Mewtwo. He was glaring at me quite hatefully, and it was obvious that he was in pain. I mentally thanked Koga, the Fuchsia City Gym Leader, for being the one to pass on the powerful technique of Toxic to me. _If he makes it to the qualifying stage of applying for the Elite Four,_ I thought, remembering that Koga had mentioned something about applying to become a member of the Elite Four, _I'll be sure to root for him all the way._

"Ok, next, I choose… Bluewave!" I cried, tossing my next Pokéball into the center of the floor. In a flash of light, my loyal Blastoise appeared, showing his water cannons in an intimidating way.

/A Blastoise,/ Mewtwo remarked.

"Yes. All ready?"

/I am./

I nodded, and like lightning, gave the first command. "Bluewave, go! Hydro Pump!"

"Toise!" yelled Bluewave, aiming his cannons and firing a double blast of water with enough force to demolish a concrete wall.

Mewtwo glared at me for a moment, and split second before Hydro Pump hit him, his eyes glowed with purple light, halting the attack in midair. He raised his hand, and the Hydro Pump was sent straight back at Bluewave.

"Look out!" I cried. "Use Withdraw!" Instantly, without even pausing to think, Bluewave retracted his arms, legs, and head into his massive shell, protecting him from his own attack as it pelted him. Joey and I were splashed by the water droplets bouncing in all directions.

Before I could shout out my next command, Mewtwo brought his psychic powers around Bluewave, lifting the Water-type off the ground. I saw him wince as he felt the continuing effects of Toxic again, but he still managed to fling Bluewave forcefully away, towards the back wall of the cavern.

"Bluewave!" I shouted desperately, "use Hydro Pump at the wall! Full power!" My Blastoise responded as quickly and instantly as before, extending his water cannons and blasting great torrents of water at the wall. He halted in midair for a moment, as his flight to the wall was stopped, and then flew straight back at high speed. This maneuver must have taken Mewtwo completely by surprise, for he was hit full force by Bluewave's backwards-Tackle of sorts, sending him flying back as well. I heard him cry out in pain as the attack connected, and he smashed into the opposite wall near the doorway sickeningly. I winced guiltily. That had to have hurt.

From the middle of the floor where he had fallen, Bluewave poked his arms, legs, and head out again, standing back up. I smiled proudly at him, and them looked over at Mewtwo. The Psychic-type Pokémon clone had fallen to the floor, and for a moment, I thought he had been defeated. I couldn't imagine anything recovering from an attack like that. But I was wrong. Mewtwo's body glowed with psychic light, and he levitated himself off the floor. Weak, but ready for more.

That wouldn't stop me, however. I couldn't hold back. I had to defeat Mewtwo. "Bluewave, Ice Beam!" I commanded quickly, not ready to lose my advantage. Bluewave opened his mouth, shooting a freezing beam at my opponent. But Mewtwo quickly avoided this attack, glaring at me the whole time. I swallowed nervously as I met his eyes. If I thought he had been giving me a hateful look before, he had to now be looking at me with a despising, loathing, death-filled stare of anger. I had never seen a Pokémon with such evil-looking eyes before.

But then again, Mewtwo wasn't a Pokémon…

"Use your Surf!" I tried next, knowing that this attack was difficult for any Pokémon to avoid. My trusted Blastoise focused, and summoned a giant wave of water seemingly out of nowhere, coming down hard on Mewtwo with a drenching splash.

As the wave dissipated, I stood on my tiptoes, trying to spot Mewtwo. _He's got to be down now!_ I thought. _No Pokémon could be in any shape to fight after all that!_ But no, there he was, floating above the floor with hate-filled eyes, still up for more. "No way…" I whispered.

/Have you not figured it out yet?/ Mewtwo asked. /My powers are greater than that of any Pokémon. You cannot win against me. You should just quit now./ He paused after saying this, and closed his eyes. A sparkling light surrounded his body, a light that filled me with dread. I recognized this attack.

Recover.

The sparkling light ended, and it was apparent that Mewtwo had now recovered much of his strength. The red welts that were previously evident underneath his fur were healed, and the vigor had returned to his eyes. I was inwardly relieved that Recover could not cure status problems as well, so my Toxic would still remain in effect. But still… I could tell Mewtwo could do much even in his injured state.

And with his recovered health, and renewed fury, I was afraid he could quite possibly pull himself a win…

* * *

Almost an hour has gone by! Where did that nice girl go off to? Oh… I knew I should have followed her! What if something awful happened to her? And suppose… she was the one? Then I'd really be in a jam… 

I suppose I shouldn't worry too much. Something inside me tells me it's ok, that the girl will be fine. But… Mews are supposed to be constantly cheerful Pokémon. Being worried makes me feel depressed. And being depressed makes me too sad to do anything…

Wait! I can't be sad! I have to be positive! I have to keep my hopes high until she returns! I'll just have to find something fun to do until then… Let's see… Oooh! What's that? Flying in the sky? It's big, and colorful! Pretty!

I fly over (invisibly, of course) to the big colorful thing. I see that if isn't alive, it's just an object tied to a string. And the string is being held by a human child standing behind his house. I'm curious. Why would you fly an object on a string? Oh well. I look at the colorful thing again, which is blue-and-pink and shaped like a diamond. It has a long tail-like string with ribbons attached to it. The wind picks up a little, and… Oh! Wow! The thing is bobbing up and down! Its tail is fluttering around like crazy! Cool!

The tail is too fascinating to ignore. I float over to it, trying to follow its movements. Hee hee hee! It touched me! That tickles! Playfully, I bat at the tail, and then, as it flicks by my nose again—I grab it!

But… uh, oh! It came off! I must have pulled too hard! Startled, I let it fall to the ground. Oops… I look up at the rest of the colorful thing, and I realize it's falling down too! It must have needed the tail to fly…

Disappointed, I turn to fly away, but I stop at the sound of crying down below me. I look down, and see the human child is crying, holding the colorful thing in his hands. Oh no… I realize what I've done now… The colorful thing was the human's toy… He had been playing with it, and I broke it… Now he's sad… And that makes me sad…

I float down to him, right in front of his face. Oh… he's just a little boy… If you were to compare him to me (relatively speaking, of course), we would be about the same age. He's really upset, I can tell. And it's all my fault too. I'm the one who broke his colorful toy. I need to do something…

Even though something tells me it's not a good idea, I decide to show myself to this human boy. I look around, making sure no one else is around. Yep, the coast is clear. I allow myself to materialize in front of the little boy, and float back a little from him. He gasps, dropping his toy.

"Wha…? What are you?" he asks, his eyes wide in amazement.

I cock my head. "Mew," I reply.

"Mew? That's your name?"

I nod.

"My name is Justin."

Another nod from me.

"Where did you come from, Mew?" he asks. "I've never seen anything like you before."

I'm not sure how to respond. All I can say is in Mew-speak, and I don't think he can understand that. I wish I had telepathic speech, but Legendary Pokémon only gain that when fully-grown, and I'm still a baby. Instead, I decide to show him. I float over to the toy's tail, and pick it up. I hold it out to him and point to myself, making a very sad face.

Justin looks confused, and I worry that he doesn't understand. I want him to understand that I'm sorry for breaking his toy! I make a jerking motion with the tail, as if I am pulling it. Then he understands. "Oh… Are you saying you pulled the tail off of my kite?" he asks.

I nod sadly. Then, after a moment, I float up to him and give him a big hug. I understand hugs are a way that humans apologize for mistakes…? Justin is surprised, but seems to understand my intentions. "And you're sorry?"

I nod again.

He smiles. "It's ok, Mew," he tells me. "I'm not sad anymore. My dad can probably fix the tail for me later. I'm glad you came to tell me you're sorry."

"Me? Mew?" I ask. Is he sure it's ok?

"Don't be sad," Justin says. "I'm glad to meet you."

I brighten up. He's not mad! And he seems happier than when he was flying his "kite." Now I'm happy again! I giggle joyfully and fly around him, making him laugh too.

"Do you want to play with me, Mew?" asks Justin. "There are other things to play with besides my kite." He runs up to his house and picks up a ball near the door. "We can play catch."

Catch? I'm not sure what that is. I cock my head at him quizzically.

"You don't know how to play catch?" he asks. I shake my head. "It's easy. I throw the ball to you, and you catch it. Then you throw it back to me. And we keep going." He takes the ball and tosses it to me. I'm still a bit unsure, so as the ball comes to me, I halt it in front of me with my psychic powers. Then I look at Justin again.

"I guess you can do that," he says, smiling. "But you're supposed to catch it in your hands. Here, throw it back."

I smile. Oh! I get it! It's a game with your hands! Not psychic powers. I guess that's fair. After all, Justin doesn't have psychic powers. I take the ball in my front paws, and throw it as hard as I can. Since I'm not very strong physically, it's still not that fast. Justin catches it easily.

"Yeah! Like that!" he exclaims. "Now get ready!" Once more, he tosses the ball to me.

I float forward, attempting to catch the ball in my paws as he did. But the ball hitting my paws startles me, and I let it fall to the ground. Oh no! Now what? I give Justin a sad look. Is the game over? Did I lose?

"Don't be sad, Mew," he says. "Nobody loses in catch. Just pick up the ball and try again."

That immediately perks me up. A game where no one loses! I like that! I float down, and pick the ball up again. I like this boy. He's really nice, and I'm having lots of fun. It's a lot better than worrying about the girl in the cave, anyways.

Ok, here I come! "Mee-hee-hee!" I laugh. Catch is lots of fun!


	9. Part Nine: Flaming Friendship

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure **

Part Nine: Flaming Friendship 

"Not good," I whisper, eyeing Mewtwo with his regained strength. "Bluewave…"

"Toise-blastoise blastoise. (I'm ready for him.)" Bluewave replied. "Blast-blastoise toise blastoise. (I'll try not to let you down.)"

I was touched. My Pokémon didn't have any real obligation to fight for me like this. Heishin had been a feisty Nidoran (M) I'd encountered and captured on Route 3; Bluewave had once been a Squirtle who had wreaked havoc on Vermillion City in retaliation for the way his former trainer had cruelly treated him; Firestorm had been a Charmander who I'd saved from Team Rocket for his first trainer (and who had given me Firestorm as thanks); and Joey was once a Pikachu who had tried to fry me to crisp because he thought I'd stolen his little sister-egg. None of the Pokémon had initially liked me.

Why, then, did they decide to stick with me? Helping me in any and every way possible?

Joey's words came back to me: _You're my best friend, could I live with myself if you were hurt?_ I realized then that my Pokémon stuck with me through thick and thin, whether we won or lost… because they liked me. And I liked them. Because we were friends.

And suddenly, I realized Mewtwo could never truly beat us. He may have had power on his side, but we had friendship and love. Something Mewtwo didn't seem to want to understand.

And that something would help us to beat him.

* * *

Still in complete agony from the Toxic that her Nidoking had inflicted on me, I glared at the pitiful scene before me. The Blastoise told the girl that he was ready for me, and he wouldn't let her down.

I was prepared to prove him wrong.

"Bluewave, whatever happens here, just know that all I want from you is your best!" she called. "We'll be friends no matter if we win or lose. Right?"

"Blastoise!" the Water-type replied.

"Now, let's show Mewtwo what we can do!"

"Toise!" Now Blastoise faced me with confidence. A strange glint was in his eyes, as if no matter if I defeated him or not, he still would win…

"Hydro Pump, now!" the girl commanded.

As Blastoise's attack came straight for me, I held out my paw, forming a Reflect attack with my psychic powers, which blocked Hydro Pump. Then, before my opponent could react, I blasted the Water-type with Psychic. I sensed I'd succeeded in a critical hit, for the damage given was obviously greater than normal.

"Ice Beam!"

The girl's next attack command came quickly, and I was surprised to see it carried out just as quickly. I was hit with a freezing-cold beam of light that sent me flying backwards. Pain shot through my body from both it and the Toxic, but I bit down hard on it. I couldn't let her see my pain. My weakness…

No. I had no weakness.

"Ice Beam again!"

I barely had time to turn before another Ice Beam came at me, but I reacted with greater speed this time. I caught the attack with Psychic and sent it straight back at the Blastoise. To my surprise (and the girl's as well), the reflected-Ice Beam froze Blastoise solid. Now I faced a Blastoise encased in a block of ice, helpless to do a thing.

"Bluewave!" the girl cried.

I smiled inwardly. What luck. But before I could form an attack to use against the immobile Pokémon, he suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.

"Bluewave, return!" the girl said, recalling him into a Pokéball. She placed it on her belt, looking up at me as she did so. I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure what I could say without degrading me in her eyes any further.

But… why did I care what she thought of me?

"Not bad," she said softly. "But I'm still not giving up."

/It would be the better for you if you did,/ I responded gently. For some strange reason, her sadness was rubbing off on me. Just as when I had knocked out Nidoking, I felt bitter disappointment instead of proud victory. What was happening? Why did I feel this way?

The girl shook her head at me, looking a bit puzzled as well. Was I showing my emotions on my face? "As long as we live, there's always room for hope," she whispered.

What? I didn't understand what she meant.

"As long as we have strength to battle, we'll fight on," she explained softly. "And where there's life… there's hope for something better…"

Where there's life… there's hope? For a moment, I forgot all about the battle. I thought of myself. I live… so does that mean there is hope for me? To find something better? But… how…?

My thoughts were interrupted by the girl's voice: "Firestorm, go!" Out from the Pokéball she tossed sprang a Charizard, who roared angrily. Unlike me, he was pumped and ready for battle.

Suddenly, I wondered: what did I need to hope for more? Me winning this battle, or me finding a better life? Both seemed so important, and yet…

I sensed that whether I won the battle or not, the latter choice had something to do with this girl…

* * *

I giggled happily as I tossed the ball back to Justin. I was getting the hang of this! This was great! I could play here all day; I was having so much fun.

Before Justin could throw the ball back, however, he suddenly gasped at the sight of something behind me. The ball fell from his fingers to the ground. I was puzzled. What was the matter? I turned around—and gasped also. Because leaning across the fence, staring straight at me…

… was a scary-looking man!

Instantly, I disappeared from sight, and floated back from him. I was so frightened that my tail was shivering. When had he come? I must have been having so much fun playing, I didn't hear him. He had mean-looking eyes, and was dressed in all black. There was a strange symbol on his shirt… It was the human letter R, in red for all to see. I felt so scared. I wasn't supposed to let anyone see me!

"Hey, kid," the man growled, pointing at Justin. "Where's that Pokémon?"

Justin looked frightened, and I suddenly wondered if this scary man was dangerous. "I… I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered in reply.

"Don't lie to me! That pink Pokémon! Where is it?" the man yelled. He reached for a Pokéball on his belt.

Oh no! I knew what would happen now! If Justin didn't tell him where I was, the man would threaten him with his Pokémon! But I wouldn't let him hurt my friend!

"Go, Arbok!" the man shouted, tossing his Pokéball. "Wrap that kid! He's coming with us!"

"Cha-bok!" hissed the big, scary snake Pokémon that appeared, leaping at Justin.

I had to act fast! Still invisible, I flew at Arbok—and smashed into it with a Psychic force field. Arbok flew backwards and plopped on the grass, unconscious. The man's mouth fell open, and I had to cover my mouth to keep from giggling. He looked funny… like a Magikarp!

Suddenly, I jumped at Justin's loud shout from behind me. "Officer Jenny! Officer Jenny!!! Help!!!" he screamed. Officer Jenny? Who was that? It must have been someone scary, for the man immediately looked frightened.

"Arbok, return!" he said, recalling his Pokémon. He then glared meanly at Justin. "Just wait, kid, I'm gonna get that Pokémon whether you like it or not!" He turned around and ran.

Whew… He was gone. I didn't really think he could catch me, like he had said. After all, I was a Legendary Pokémon! I floated down to Justin, and nuzzled him comfortingly. Even though he couldn't see me, he smiled and petted my head.

"Thanks, Mew."

* * *

If Mewtwo thought Heishin and Bluewave were pretty tough, he hadn't seen anything yet. For Firestorm was my fiercest Pokémon. One little command from me to start him off… and he's on fire.

No pun intended.

"Firestorm, Flamethrower!" I yelled, watching as my Fire/Flying-type sent a huge jetstream of flames at Mewtwo. Mewtwo tried to throw up a defensive Reflect wall, but Flamethrower was too intense. Coming from Firestorm, I mean. Our attack ended up being only partly blocked, so Mewtwo was scorched.

"Fire Spin!" I commanded next, but Firestorm was already initiating the attack on his own. He swung his flaming tail around, engulfing my Psychic-type opponent in its vortex.

/Not… bad…/ Mewtwo told me, his telepathic voice sounding as strained as his face looked. This is quite a formidable Charizard.

"Thanks," I replied, as Firestorm used Flamethrower again. But Mewtwo managed to dodge, and hit Firestorm with a Swift attack. However, as Mewtwo himself said, he was not made to fight physically. My faithful Pokémon partner only received minimal damage.

Oddly enough, I felt… perky. As if I was now, at last, in my element. And as it was, I probably was. I've always admired Fire-types. I don't own a lot, but I get a kick out of training them more than any other type. And you can see the evidence of my love for the element. Firestorm's not your ordinary Charizard with Flamethrower on his side. He's a Charizard raised to use all his Fire-type power at maximum strength.

Besides, I'm Samantha McPhoenix. Phoenixes are divine when it comes to fire, right?

Which, I'm hoping, will make this match the best one yet…


	10. Part Ten: Desperation

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure **

Part Ten: Desperation 

The whole time I was watching Firestorm battle Mewtwo, I couldn't help wishing I had a camera or something. It was that good of a battle.

Attack for attack, parry for parry, these two were matched nearly evenly for power and speed. The only difference really was the fact that Firestorm was fresh, while Mewtwo was suffering greatly from the two previous matches. But still… Mewtwo was seeming to hold his own quite well. And that worried me for two reasons: one, because it seemed possible Mewtwo was still strong enough to win; and two, because he still was pushing himself on to fight. I hated to see Mewtwo this hurt and still battling. I don't mind a Pokémon going down in an honorable battle, but this has become a battle of desperation. Both of us stood to lose quite a bit. I'd be trapped down here forever, and Mewtwo would lose his freedom…

Now that I think about it, I realize I can't really blame Mewtwo for his actions against me. He has a right to hate humans, for treating him differently from other Pokémon. He has a right to fight for life's answers, to fight for a meaning. I can understand why Mewtwo would be angry about being different, since such a unique being as him could never find peace in today's world…

But being a lover of Pokémon, I must strive to do what is right. Knowing that it's wrong to treat Mewtwo differently just because he is a clone, I have to find some way of helping him. It'll be tough, in the position I'm in, but I'm positive that fate brought me here to meet and battle Mewtwo for a reason. With all my heart, I'll make sure that that reason is to help him realize that hating humans and seeing himself above all other life forms was not the answer.

Making sure I win in the process, of course.

Hey, I'm not about to lose to Mewtwo and be stuck down here till the end of time, am I?

* * *

Whew… I'm glad that scary man is gone! I could sense the dark intent in him as soon as I saw him… I feel so silly for letting him see me, but he's gone now. He can't bother us again.

"What's wrong? What's the matter?" called another human voice, startling me. I hid behind Justin, although there was really no reason to because I was invisible. In a few moments, a woman with blue hair wearing an important-looking human uniform appeared, approaching the fence around Justin's yard.

"Officer Jenny!" exclaimed Justin. "There was a Team Rocket man here!"

The woman (who must be Officer Jenny) gasped at his words. This must have been surprising to her. "Team Rocket? Which way did he go?"

"That way," replied Justin, pointing in the direction the scary man had went. "He was wearing a black uniform, and had black hair."

While they were talking, I floated up to Officer Jenny cautiously, looking her up and down. Was this the Officer Jenny that had scared the man away? She didn't look very scary. In fact, she looked like a very nice person. I could sense her bravery and spiritual strength just by approaching her, though. Maybe other humans knew of this also, and feared that? It would make sense…

I also wondered who "Team Rocket" was. Was that the man's name? No… that didn't sound like a human name to me. But Officer Jenny seemed to recognize it right away. Maybe it stood for something famous.

Or infamous…

A sharp bark made me jump in fright all of a sudden, and I whirled around to see an orange, striped Pokémon standing next to Officer Jenny, growling at me. My psychic powers told me it was a Fire-type Pokémon called Growlithe. Its nose was twitching furiously, and with a little anxiety, I realized that Growlithe could not see me, but it could smell me.

"Ruff! Ruff! Grr… Ruff!" barked Growlithe angrily, trying in vain to get at me.

"Growlithe? What's wrong?" asked Officer Jenny, holding Growlithe back by a blue strap buckled around its neck, so it couldn't escape.

Growlithe's barks scared me! I quickly floated back to Justin, and to my relief, Growlithe stops its growling. Now it is wagging its tail, looking very pleased with itself. I guess it really didn't mean any harm… Maybe it thought I was dangerous, and was trying to scare me away from Officer Jenny? Well… I guess that's ok. I wasn't going to hurt her, but all the same, it's nice that Growlithe likes Officer Jenny so much to be brave like that.

"Don't worry about a thing," Officer Jenny continued on to Justin reassuringly. "The police will take care of everything. Come on, Growlithe."

"Ruff," replied Growlithe, glaring in my general direction again before following Officer Jenny away. As soon as she was out of sight, Justin sits down on the grass, sighing in relief.

"Whew… I'm glad Officer Jenny is going to catch that man, Mew. He was scary," he told me.

"Mew, mew. (I agree.)" I answered, coming back into view and sitting in front of him.

"Team Rocket is a big group of bad guys who want to steal lots of rare Pokémon," explained Justin. "You must be a really rare Pokémon, if that man wanted to get you."

"Mew…" I felt sad at that. I didn't want to be a rare Pokémon that everyone wanted to catch. I didn't want to have to worry about my duties as a Legendary Pokémon. I just wanted to play and have fun.

But I know that's not the right thing to do. I have an important mission, and it has something to do with that girl who went into the cave. But what?

I wish I knew… It makes me sad not knowing…

* * *

"Firestorm, Slash again!" yelled the girl once more, barely giving me enough time to recover from the last one.

Curse that girl! She had homed in on my weak point—my physical defense—and was using powerful physical attacks to wear me down. I had Recovered once or twice, but the girl's Charizard simply wore me back down again, so I had given up on that tactic. Besides, my body and mind were exhausted from so much battling, not leaving me with much energy to Recover with. I fear this girl may win by overpowering me with her Pokémon…

No. I cannot give in to defeat. I have to win! I had come so far, waited so long, for the chance to prove my superiority. To find what it meant to live. This girl must be defeated in order for me to gain more knowledge about the outside world. I will use her to find my purpose in life. I will not allow myself to be used by her.

I was beyond the point where most Pokémon would have fainted. My will, combined with my psychic powers, kept me going, even though I should have dropped with unconsciousness a long time ago. Which is quite risky. At the rate we're going in battling, I could easily drop dead from sheer exhaustion or too much damage. And I can tell the girl is worried about that. She probably doesn't want to lose her chance to catch a powerful Pokémon—or Pokémon clone—like me. Stupid girl. I will never serve a human. They are the reason for my anger at the world. The world rejected me, and I will make them pay the price or die trying.

But this Charizard… It has certainly proven its mightiness in battle. It may deny me my hopes for winning…

No. I can't think that…

"Firestorm, Dragon Rage!" the girl's voice commands again, full of determination and confidence. Green flames leap out at me from my left; in my weariness, I've forgotten to keep track of Charizard. I only barely manage to block it with Reflect.

"Try Flamethrower instead!" I feel more scalding pain with her next command, as I am suddenly enveloped in fire coming from my right. Charizard is moving too fast for me to track; my mind is slowing down with the pain and fatigue of the battle. I could just collapse right now, and accept my fate…

But I don't.

I lower myself down to the floor, focusing on only one objective, one attack. Another well-aimed Slash attack from Charizard rakes across my shoulder, and I almost fall. I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out with agony, for it's about the tenth time I've been Slashed in that shoulder. I dimly feel a slow trickle of warm blood run down my side, and I hear the girl gasp in surprise at the sight of it. But I don't need her pity. In fact, I feel a surge of anger rise up in me at it. And that is all I need to pull off my psychic attack.

Forming a blue Barrier shield around me, I focus every last bit of my psychic powers into the space within it, intensifying its strength just by thinking. My pain and anger, converted into psychic energy, was suddenly a raging force in the room.

_My will is stronger than yours, Miss McPhoenix,_ I thought grimly, before unleashing my energy in the strongest Psychic attack I could muster.

A great surge of power suddenly tore through the room, nearly knocking me down along with my opponents. It couldn't quite be called an explosion, yet the force of the attack still tore up loose floor stones, caused loose rock and debris to fall from the walls and ceiling, and hit the Charizard full force. It roared in pain as it was flung powerfully backwards towards the back wall, and would have smashed into the girl herself if she hadn't dove out of the way in time. The Charizard hit the wall hard, before sinking slowly to the ground in defeat.

"No, Firestorm!" cried the girl tearfully, running to her unconscious Pokémon. A strange feeling coursed through the room all of a sudden as she said that. Just as the appearance of Charizard has seemed to draw a strange, fiery aura into the room, the knockout of the dragon-like Pokémon seemed to change the aura also. But the aura didn't disappear; it grew stronger. But instead of burning, intense fire, it became angry, chilling fire… like cold fire… But was that possible? At first I had thought the aura was something natural generated by the Fire/Flying-type Charizard. But no… It seemed to be coming from the girl…

"Firestorm, are you ok? Oh… Good job…" The girl sounded even more upset than before. The Charizard opened its eyes slightly, growling weakly with disappointment. "You deserve a good rest… Don't worry about a thing," she told it, recalling it into its Pokéball once more. Then, she stood and faced me, distress and worry apparent in her face.

"Pika." The Pikachu that had been standing by her side this whole time suddenly hopped forward, glaring at me in defiance. I had nearly forgotten about the small, Electric-type. It didn't look very terrifying, with its rolled-up, purple bandanna tied around its ears. I was rather unsure of whether to be worried or relaxed about my final opponent. On one hand, Pikachus were small and unevolved, suggesting weaker stats. But I knew by now not to take this girl and her Pokémon lightly.

My gaze drifted from the Pikachu to the girl herself, wondering exactly what she was thinking at the moment. I wasn't exactly sure what I was thinking myself; my mind was swimming with exhaustion and pain. I couldn't even feel hatred towards her anymore. I was just too tired…

"Are you ok?" The girl's quiet inquiry jolted me back to the present, her worried yet willful stare confusing me. Was she asking me that?

/What? Why?/ I asked suspiciously.

She shrugged. "I don't like seeing Pokémon get hurt this badly," she replied. "You shouldn't push yourself like this."

Confusing emotions flooded me at her words. On one hand, I was angry that she dared to tell me what should do. On the other hand, I felt somewhat… touched. At her genuine concern for my welfare.

No. It was a lie. She only wanted to capture me for her own ends. It was just a lie…

/Do not tell me what to do,/ I told her. /I will take care of myself. You worry about your own predicament./

The girl nodded, her eyes narrowing with anger. "Ok. If you want to kill yourself battling, that's fine," she said dryly. "You can't say I didn't try to warn you."

How could she be sarcastic in such a situation? Didn't she see the possibility of her losing was right around the corner? As much as I wanted to respect her, I couldn't help but be disbelieving of her seemingly foolish attitude.

But deep down, I seriously felt that she knew exactly what she was doing. Perhaps she, like me and my psychic powers, had a strength from deep within, one she was counting on to help her win.

It was a shame I had to defeat her, really.


	11. Part Eleven: Release of Heart, Capture o...

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure**

**Part Eleven: Release of Heart, Capture of Soul**

My heart was hammering in my chest like crazy. I couldn't believe Mewtwo had beaten three of my toughest Pokémon, and was still ready for more! I was so sure Firestorm would be able to take him down, but I was wrong… Now, I'm seriously scared. I trust Joey with all my heart, but let's face it—he's not exactly a great big bruiser of a Pokémon. And with the way Mewtwo's been battling, I'm so scared Joey won't be able to handle it. Joey's strong, but… I don't know if he'll be strong enough…

"Ok… this is it…" I whispered, trying to put myself at ease. But my fear overwhelms me, and I feel tears well up in my eyes. No, I can't cry! Not in front of Mewtwo! He'll only scorn me more, and that's just what I don't need. I can't cry…

But no, I can't help it. Tears run down my face, and I slowly sink to my knees. I don't know if I can do this… It seems impossible now… I wish I had never come here, never heard of the Unknown Dungeon… My tears won't stop… Please… Let me out of here now…

"Pika? Pikachu pika? (Sam? What's wrong?)" Joey runs over to me, sensing my sadness. "Pi-pika chu pi-pika? (Why are you crying?)"

/Indeed,/ Mewtwo cuts in. /What are you crying for?/

I try hard to ignore Mewtwo, ignore his contempt for my position. "I'm scared, Joey," I admit quietly to my Pikachu, the only friend left to comfort me. "What if we don't win? Mewtwo's so strong… I'm scared…"

Joey looks surprised. "Pika? Pi-ka chu pik pikachu! Pi-chu pika pika… (What? But we're so close! Don't give up now!)"

"I just don't know… I don't know if I can do this… I wish I never came here…" I whisper.

"Pikachu-pi. (You're not alone.)"

"But Joey…"

Joey glares at me in determination. "Pi-ka, pika-pi chu pika pika pik cha. Pika-pik pika, cha pi pik chu pika-pika! Pika chu cha pik… (For you, I'm going to battle my hardest. I'll fight, and I'll win against Mewtwo! I'm not going to lose…)"

My lip trembled at his words. "Thank you… I'm sorry I despaired… It's just so intense… Good luck…" I hugged Joey, my first and best Pokémon friend in the world. Everything we've worked so hard for rests now on him. And I know if he can't do it, no one can. "Ok, Mewtwo!" I said, my voice quavering. "We're ready for you!"

/I see that,/ he replied, a little more gently. /I admire your strength, Miss McPhoenix. You really are a skilled trainer./

"Really?" I was surprised to hear such a complement from him. "Do you mean that?"

/Yes, I do. But that does not change the fact that I will defeat you./

I rolled my eyes. _Figures!_ I thought. Oh well. Why did I care what he thought of me, anyway? If I wanted praise, I could ask my friends. But I didn't have any more of my friends with me now. None of my trainer friends knew where I was, and all my Pokémon save for Joey were unconscious now. Just like at the beginning of my journey, there was only me and Joey. No one else.

"I'll prove you wrong, Mewtwo," I stated, my hand going to the necklace I was wearing, and closing my fist around it. It was a very pretty necklace, the symbol of my family—a silver phoenix pendant, intricately gilded with gold. "Ready for the final round?"

Mewtwo's eyes flared a deep purple, and he levitated himself high above us with his psychic powers. /When you are, Miss McPhoenix. Make your move./

All right… This was it! Time to see who really was the strongest here. "Go for it, Joey!" I yelled. "Quick Attack!"

"Pi-ka!" Joey cried, zipping forward with lightning speed. I kept my eyes on Mewtwo, waiting for him to counter… As Joey leaped high into the air to attack Mewtwo, I saw his already-purple eyes gleam again.

"Joey, Thunderbolt!" I commanded instantly, as a purple light began to surround Joey.

Most Pikachus need about two to three seconds to charge up their Thunderbolt attacks. But not Joey. From all the rounds of tense battling we had to encounter with Lance's super-fast Dragonite in the final Elite Four match, Joey and I have learned a thing or two about split second moves. This initial Thunderbolt only proved my point.

"Pika-chu!!!!" Before Mewtwo's Psychic could take effect, Joey had already launched his Thunderbolt. It broke the psychic hold Mewtwo had on him, just as I had hoped. And the rest of the attack went straight for Mewtwo himself. Unfortunately, he managed to block it in time with Reflect, which was disappointing, but not a problem.

"Thunder, go!" I commanded next. "Hurry, Joey!"

Joey's cheeks were already sparking by the time he touched the ground again. "Pika… CHU!!!!" The powerful Electric-attack tore up the floor around him as it charged, and I could feel the energy make my hair stand on end. I watched the blinding flash of the attack hit Mewtwo full force, making the entire cavern shake with the force of the strike. Mewtwo gave a cry of pain, and I smelled his singed fur in the air as he recoiled backwards. Wow. I hadn't expected that Thunder to be so effective. Must have been a critical hit.

But hold on… If that was a critical hit, and Mewtwo was still standing…

Uh oh.

/Nice hit…/ he said to me, sounding extremely angry now. /Now it's my turn./ Mewtwo quickly formed a ball of psychic energy in his hands, and threw it full force at Joey as hard as he could.

"Dodge it, Joey!" I cried, desperate for Joey to remain unhurt, not only because I was worried about him, but also because of Joey's low defensive abilities. One well-placed attack could knock him out in one hit. Joey scrambled quickly out of the way, but the shockwaves of the attack still threw him for a loop.

"Pi-ka!" he yelped in pain, hitting the ground hard.

My heart leaped into my throat at his cry. "Are you ok, Joey?" I asked.

"Pi…" Joey nodded, struggling to his feet. As he did so, however, I saw Mewtwo, out of the corner of my eye, charge up another Psychic blast to finish Joey when he was down.

"Joey! Look out!" I gasped desperately. "Get out of the way!"

Too late. The blast flew directly at Joey, with more force than the one before, and I could see Joey wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. Tears spilled from my eyes. It was done… all over… If I could have moved, I would have thrown myself in the way of the blast, but I couldn't. I just couldn't move.

"Joey…" I whispered, closing my eyes. I couldn't watch. I just couldn't…

The impact of the blast shook the ground beneath my feet, and I sank to my knees in despair. It was over. I had lost the battle.

* * *

The very instant Justin tossed the ball to me again… I felt it! I felt this horrible feeling of complete and utter despair! The feeling was so sudden and sad that the ball bonked me in the nose.

"Oh! Mew, I'm sorry! Are you ok?" Justin ran over to me, worried that he might have hurt me. But I had barely felt it. That feeling… It was so sad! Tears came to my eyes as it washed over me like water from the sea. It was that girl… The girl who went in the cave! She was the one feeling this sad. And now I knew I had to go NOW. I don't know why or how I could tell it was her, or even why I could feel how sad she was. But I just knew I was the one to help her feel better.

"Mew? What's wrong?" Justin stepped in front of me, confused.

"Mewy mew…" I shook my head sadly, floating backwards into the sky. I had to get him to understand I needed to leave… I didn't want to leave him! He was my first friend! But this girl needed my help now.

"What is it, Mew? Do… Do you need to go now?" Justin's eyes grew sad as he said that.

"Mew…" I nodded reluctantly.

"But why?"

I didn't know how to explain. I couldn't explain. "Mewy mew. Mew mew mew," I told him, although he wouldn't be able to understand. I drifted backwards slowly, hoping he might realize I had to go, even though I didn't want to.

"Mew… please don't go. You're really cool…" Justin sounded ready to cry. That made me even sadder! Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. The sadness hurt me… It hurt me more than any attack from a Pokémon ever could. Mews are supposed to be happy Pokémon, and I wasn't happy at all…

"Mew…" I floated to Justin, and snuggled him momentarily. He smiled a little as I did so.

"Mew," he whispered, hugging me tight, "will you come and play again?"

I thought about that. I wanted to. Maybe I could. After I finished helping the girl, I could go and play with Justin again. "Mewy," I told him, nodding.

A grin instantly spread across his face at that. "Really? Ok, Mew, then hurry back!" he said.

Cheered by his reaction, I closed my eyes, concentrating on the girl's emotions deep within the cave. It was a lot easier to concentrate while I was happy! I'm glad Justin wasn't too sad about me leaving for a while. I felt the rush of the girl's sadness once more, and, invoking my psychic powers, I teleported away.

* * *

I had to take off my sunglasses, I was crying so much. No! I couldn't have lost! I just couldn't! But I did… It wasn't fair! After all my hard work getting down here… all the training my Pokémon and I went through… we lost…

Maybe I was just fooling myself. Maybe I had overestimated my own abilities, had too much self-confidence for my own good. Maybe I really wasn't as good as I thought I was.

Perhaps that, above all, was the worst kind of loss. It's one thing to lose to an opponent stronger than you, but it's an entirely different thing to lose to someone because of your own pride.

Affinity of Fire… That's what Lance said I was.

Bold and strong, proud and stubborn, thoughtful and deeply sensitive. All these traits of Fire were also my own.

And I had lived up to all of them.

Why couldn't I have seen my own faults earlier? Sure, I had acknowledged them. But I never accepted that they would mean my own loss… the loss of my team. Why couldn't I have been an Affinity of Lightning, like my older cousin, Dentor Mitsuya? Or any other affinity?

_"It was fated for you to be gifted with the Affinity of Fire… It makes you who you are."_ I remembered Lance's words, not too long ago, when I had finally defeated him in the Elite Four competition after the second attempt. When he had looked at me with the wisdom only a Dragon Master could have, and saw the element that was mine. Was I also fated to lose in the Unknown Dungeon to a clone of Mew as well? Was I fated to be trapped here forever?

No… That couldn't be right. A part of me still protested, shook its head violently, insisted that this wasn't the end. But could I really trust my instincts? A fat lot of good it had done me so far.

_But you are right._

I froze as another voice entered my thoughts, kindly and full of hope. The thoughts weren't even words or complete sentences, but the core meaning shone through. Who was that who was speaking to me? Definitely not Mewtwo.

_Why are you denying your own heart? You are an Affinity of Fire, and you should be proud. Look where it has gotten you. And you're not through yet._

I'm not? Wait… this has to be a trick. My mind was playing tricks on me.

_No. And you haven't lost! Take a look into the dust, and tell me what you see._

I couldn't believe this. I was having a mental conversation with myself. But, trusting the mysterious voice, I looked up in front of me, wiping the tears from my eyes with my sleeve.

And my heart nearly stopped.

As the dust cleared… Standing weakly, but definitely ready to continue the battle in the middle of the floor… was Joey! Joey hadn't fainted! He was ok!

"Joey? I can't believe it!" I screamed ecstatically.

Mewtwo looked stunned. /What? That can't be! A mere Pikachu couldn't have survived my attack!/

Joey was very weak; I could tell just by looking at him. But he still managed to turn to me, a faint, proud smile upon his face. "Pika-chu ka. (Thunder Wave.)" he said simply.

And I understood.

After we had first lost to Lance in the Elite Four challenge, I had been absolutely devastated. But after a week or so of moping, I began to realize that perhaps that wasn't the way to win. I had to try again. And in order to do that, and win this time, we had to devise a new strategy. One of the many new tactics we devised during our month-long training session was an interesting Thunder Wave combination. Purely by accident, Joey and I found out that Thunder Wave, if used in a certain way, could be used like a magnetic shield to block special attacks, either partially or totally depending on the attack. We had honed this special combination as best as we could, hoping it could prove of some use against Lance. And that Thunder Wave shield must have been what Joey had used to hang on. Granted, Joey had still been hurt by the Psychic attack Mewtwo had launched, but he had blocked just enough of it to be ok.

"Joey…" I was so relieved to see he was still in the battle. Yet I also knew that it wasn't over yet. One more attack, even an indirect one, could take out the rest of Joey's HP, and we'd lose anyway. But I wasn't about to just stop now.

_Good job! See, I told you it wasn't over._ The voice sounded very pleased.

Mewtwo's eyes flared all of a sudden, puzzlement and anger filling his face. Without warning, he formed a small ball of psychic energy in his hands, and threw it forcefully at me. I yelped in surprise and ducked, just avoiding the attack. It sailed over my head and hit the back wall.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I yelled at him, more angry than frightened, although I had every reason to be scared. Pokémon psychic attacks can be very dangerous to humans. They are specifically designed to damage a Pokémon's HP, but those same attacks, depending on their strength and the strength of the Pokémon using it, can be devastating to humans. Generally, if hit with a full-power, direct Psychic attack from a Psychic-type Level 60 or up, a person's entire psyche is destroyed on contact. The affected person is either badly mentally-impaired, sent into a permanent coma, or—most commonly—becomes brain-dead.

Will McCaran, who was applying to be a member of the Elite Four, had made sure to drill that into me one day over lunch. After all, he knew first-hand what a Psychic attack could do… It was because of a Psychic attack that he had the psychic powers he was gifted with. When he was about six-years old, he had been watching a Pokémon battle between a Mr. Mime and Alakazam. The Alakazam had launched a super-powered Psychic attack at Mr. Mime, and Mr. Mime instantly put up a Reflect wall to guard. Unfortunately, the Reflect wall reflected the attack in a bad direction—straight towards Will. Will had been hit full-force, and instantly slipped into a coma. Everyone thought he would be like that for the rest of his life, but fortunately, four-weeks later (right before they were about to pull the plug on him), he woke up in the hospital, alive and well—but now with psychic powers. He was a lucky one; most people would be dead after an attack like that.

That was the only thing going through my mind as Mewtwo shot numerous Psychic balls in my general direction. I tried to dodge the first few, but it suddenly dawned on me that Mewtwo wasn't trying to hit me in the first place. In fact, it seemed he was trying to hit something behind me. I turned slowly, so I wouldn't inadvertently get hit with one of his attacks, but there was nothing behind me. Nothing but the wall. At least as far as I could tell.

Joey was staring at me in absolute dismay, unsure of whether to be afraid for me or not. I glanced up at Mewtwo, wincing as an attack whizzed by my ear, and cleared my throat nervously. "Um… Excuse me, is there a problem?" I asked.

Mewtwo ignored my question, but he did stop his barrage of attacks. /Show yourself!/ he snarled, to whatever he had been attacking.

Silence. Was he expecting a reply from nothing?

/I can sense you, you know. Whatever you are, I demand you keep out of this!/

What in the world was he talking to? There was no one else here.

/I sensed you talking to her. She doesn't need your help! If she is truly capable of defeating me, she can do it on her own. Stop interfering!/

Wait… I suddenly realized that he was talking to the voice! The voice that had encouraged me not to give up. So it really was someone else speaking to me? I wondered who or what it could be.

Still silence. The voice replied to neither Mewtwo nor myself. Mewtwo continued to glare at nothingness for several moments, until he simply shrugged.

/It's gone,/ he stated.

"What was it?" I couldn't help but ask.

Mewtwo glowered at me. /Forget it. Remember we are still battling./

"Right." I snapped back to attention. "Ok, Joey, this is really, truly it now! Let's win this!"

"Pika!" Joey got into a ready stance; ready to attack or dodge, whatever I commanded.

/It's over now,/ Mewtwo warned, his eyes glowing purple once again. He lifted his hands, forming another Psychic ball in his paws. But it was significantly smaller than any of the other attacks he had formed previously. He threw it at Joey, who easily dodged the small attack.

What was going on?

Frustrated, Mewtwo tried another one, this one just as tiny, which Joey dodged too. Joey seemed to be as puzzled as I was. What happened to Mewtwo's attacks? I looked up into Mewtwo's eyes—and gasped.

The purple light was fading. Its once-intense, proud light that I had come to be accustomed to being in those eyes was weak and waning, struggling to relight, but without fuel. I had never seen anything like it before, but I knew in an instant what was wrong.

Mewtwo was running out of psychic energy.

All Pokémon have their limits, of course. Even Water-types and Fire-types run out of water and flame, and must heal before they can charge it back up again. But I had never seen a Psychic-type run out of psychic power before. I always had the impression that psychic energy, which comes from the mind, is infinite, as long as you have the will power. But Mewtwo was running out. His mind must be drained, the poor thing.

But now was my chance! Now that Mewtwo didn't have his destructive Psychic to help him anymore, Joey could go in and pound him! We could still win!

"Joey, now's the time! Use your Thunderbolt attack!" I called to my Pokémon friend.

"Pika-chu!!!!" cried Joey, instantly charging up electricity and crashing it out in a blinding, powerful attack. It destroyed the puny psychic ball that was just tossed at Joey, and shocked Mewtwo in a crackle of electrical might. Mewtwo was thrown backwards, pain written in his face. He tried to fly forward again, but something painful jolted through him, causing to collapse to the floor. At first, I thought it was the electrical attack that had done it. But no, I suddenly realized it was Heishin's Toxic, still in effect. Mewtwo had been holding back the poison's pain for the last couple of rounds, but now it was starting to kick in again.

Mewtwo tried to levitate again, to bring his psychic powers back to help him. I closed my eyes for a spilt second. What to do? I felt so sorry for Mewtwo; in fact, it just about hurt me myself to watch his pain. But I couldn't lose. I couldn't.

"The Affinity of Fire… It makes you who you are."

I knew what I wanted to do. And although it seemed so cruel and ruthless in my mind… I didn't hold back. My heart knew what was right.

"Joey, one more Thunderbolt."

That's right. I had to get Mewtwo completely beaten down in order to truly win. If he could have been knocked out, I would have gladly done so to win. But it was obvious Mewtwo's will power was too great to allow him to be knocked unconscious. It was either win or die for him. No other way.

And maybe that's why I had to do this. No other way. Either he wins, or I win. We both had so much to lose, so much to gain.

Why had I agreed to this in the first place? If I had had a choice, I would have walked away if I had known what kind of a battle this was going to be.

How it would have to end.

I didn't even watch as Joey shocked Mewtwo again with another Thunderbolt. But I could smell more singed fur, heard the popping of electricity as the attack ended. When I looked up again, I saw Mewtwo lying completely still on the floor. His once-fine, light-purple fur was blackened and matted with repeated attacks from all my Pokémon. His chest heaved painfully as he tried to breathe. And yet… he still tried to get up. He pulled himself up on his arms, his eyes full of pain and fury. I saw the purple light in them flickering; flickering like a dying light fixture. He still wanted to fight.

Even Joey was starting to look guilty. He approached Mewtwo cautiously, ready to attack again if needed. Mewtwo glared daggers at Joey, and feebly tried to swat at Joey with his tail. But Joey simply batted his tail away with a paw. Mewtwo probably didn't have a whole lot of physical power to begin with, but in his weakened condition, he couldn't have hurt a Caterpie with his tail swat. There was nothing left for him to do. He had nothing left.

"Pika? Pikachu?" Joey tried to keep up his tough front. He even gave Mewtwo a light tackle, just to see if Mewtwo could still fight back. But Mewtwo didn't—couldn't—do a thing. He just simply glared at his little opponent.

I bit my lip. This was it. It was cruel for me to drag this out any longer. This battle had to stop. Any idiot could see that Mewtwo had lost.

I had to end it.

My hand went to my belt, removing the Master Ball from its place. I pressed the button to enlarge it, and stared at it for a moment. When I had helped to stop Team Rocket from taking over the Silph Company in Saffron City, the president had given me the Master Ball in thanks. According to him, it would catch any Pokémon, 100 without fail, even if the Pokémon was at full health and at Level 100. I sort of looked at the Master Ball in an awed, yet appalled way when I had first received it. It was kind of like a taboo. It meant that any Pokémon, once enclosed inside that ball, was instantly, definitely captured. No hope or chance of escape for the hapless Pokémon.

And now… I would use this rare, powerful ball to capture a rare, powerful Pokémon. Or clone, to be more precise.

This is wrong, it's all wrong, I thought bitterly to myself. But I have to do this. There's no reason not to. After all, you can't leave him hurt like this. And if you tried to heal him, he'd just turn on you and capture you. Momentarily, I wondered if perhaps I should use an Ultra Ball instead, hoping against hope that that slim chance he might escape from an Ultra Ball might redeem me for what I had done. But no… Mewtwo was an extraordinary Pokémon. He deserved to be captured in an extraordinary ball, not one you could buy at the local Poké Mart. Since it seemed I had to catch him no matter what.

I had all the right reasons for catching Mewtwo… so why did it feel so wrong? Every other Pokémon I had ever caught didn't make me feel this way. Perhaps… it was because I hadn't just defeated Mewtwo by beating down his HP. I had beaten down his pride too. And tell me if that isn't a horrible way to lose. I had come so close to losing that way myself… I knew how terrible that felt.

"Sorry," I whispered, gripping my fingers around the Master Ball. "Battling was never meant to be like this."

And I knew, deep down, that Mewtwo heard me.

In a quick flourish, I spun around once, lifting my right leg up like a pitcher winding up for a throw, preparing my throwing stance that both Ash Ketchum (one of my childhood friends) and I had spent months preparing before we set off on our journeys (although mine was a little more graceful and girl-like than his, of course). I took a deep breath, and uttered the words that sealed Mewtwo's fate.

"Master Ball, go!"

I threw the Master Ball directly towards Mewtwo, as hard as I could. Joey leaped aside, and too late, Mewtwo saw the ball coming directly for him. And, like in some TV show or movie, time seemed to slow for me.

I saw the horrified look on his face, his futile attempt to scoot away from the Master Ball.

I saw his pain and anger, the will to still continue fighting me, no matter what. Even though there wasn't anything he could do any longer.

And I saw his eyes, those mysterious, intense eyes. The last thing I focused on as the Master Ball came for him. At first, they flickered with ebbing purple light, vainly trying to call on Mewtwo's psychic powers to protect against the inevitable capture. Then, as the light slowly faded, and the Master Ball gave a snap as it struck him and opened up… they went to an expression of frustrated sadness. Tears blossomed in his eyes, as the purplish-pink light of the Master Ball engulfed him, and bore him away inside itself.

The ball gently clacked to the floor, and I watched it, as though I had been turned into stone. It shook back and forth, back and forth, indicating Mewtwo was still fighting, still fighting for freedom and answers. Fighting against the thing he wanted least—being captured by a human.

And then, as if with a sigh, the light on the ball stopped blinking, and went quiet and still.

I sank to my knees, staring in appalled amazement at the silent Master Ball, lying there on the floor a few feet away from me. After all had been said and done, I had finally accomplished what I had, I guess, meant and had to do all along.

I had captured Mewtwo.

* * *

How sad… Everyone should now agree to give Mewtwo/Five-Star a big hug… He deserves it very much.


	12. Part Twelve: Escaping

**The Minty Five-Star Adventure**

Forgive me for the long hiatus between updates… but at long last, here is the next chapter of The Minty Five-Star Adventure! Five-Star appreciated all the sympathy he got in the last chapter... I say he deserved it.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this so far, I know how long some of you have been waiting for this next chapter. Also, thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday in my other stories. So here goes… enjoy!

**Part Twelve: Escaping**

At first, all I could do was just sit there, gaping at the Master Ball resting on the floor before me. I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't. I… I caught Mewtwo.

I didn't know whether to scream for joy or cry in relief. This was… unbelievable. For all the challenge, all the danger, all the risks, I had won. And now… I owned a powerful Pokémon as a token of my intense battle.

Wait. Scratch that. I owned a Pokémon clone.

"Joey, we did it…" I whispered, turning to my faithful Pikachu sitting a few feet away, looking just as stunned as I did. At my voice, Joey smiled weakly, and bounded over to me. I caught him as he leaped into my arms, and hugged him for what seemed like an eternity. I was overjoyed that Joey had won, that he was ok…

…That he was my friend.

After a while, I let go of Joey and held him back from me. "We won. We did exactly what we set out to do. Thank you so much… Thank you for winning for me!"

"Pi ka chu pik pika-chu cha pika chu. (It's just what we've been doing for each other ever since we met.)" he replied, as if it really wasn't a big deal. "Pika chu pik pikachu? (Were you expecting otherwise?)"

I laughed at his words. "I guess not. We always win, right?" I replied. "So… ya ready to get out of this place?"

"Pika! (You bet!)"

"Right. Well… before we go anywhere…" I paused to grab my bag, and take a look at the amount of supplies we had left. Hmm… not as many as I had thought. Only a couple of Hyper Potions and Revives left. I suppose I could use all my Revives to bring my entire team back, but Revives wouldn't be able to rejuvenate the energy used up battling Mewtwo. No… I didn't want to push my Pokémon too far. I would only use the Pokémon I needed to get out of this cave.

"First, I'll use this on you," I said, taking out a Hyper Potion and spraying it on Joey. He shook his fur as the potion soaked him and restored all his HP. Then I used a Full Heal and Hyper Potion to bring my frozen Bluewave back up to full strength as well. Not only did I need Bluewave to Surf over the underground rivers in the cave, but his Water and Ice-type attacks could handle nearly every type of wild Pokémon we encountered. "That should do it. Let's go."

"Pika." Joey shook his head, and pointed to the Master Ball.

I nodded, and slowly walked over to it. I wasn't about to forget Mewtwo, whom I had worked so hard to capture. I quickly picked it up and tossed it into my bag, then slung the bag over my back again. The torches that Mewtwo had lit when I first had entered were starting to dim without his psychic abilities present to keep them lit, and I knew I'd better leave fast. But still…

I stopped to look back up at the many stone carvings. Were every species of Pokémon in the world really on these walls? The thought was almost mind-boggling. Instead of trying to crane my neck up to see every single one, I instead turned around to the Legendary Pokémon pictures behind me. I looked at each one, wondering if I'd ever get the chance to meet them. I had hoped to meet one today, but… it hadn't quite been a Legendary.

Two of the pictures kept pulling my gaze back to them: the one of Mew, the adorable Legendary Mewtwo was to have been cloned from (although it was almost too hard to believe such an angry creature could have been derived from such a sweet thing), and the picture of a phoenix-like Pokémon, with many-colored wings spread wide and its eyes full of angry fury. Was there really such a Legendary? I hoped so, and I also hoped I could see it one day. Phoenixes are the namesake and the symbol of my family, it seemed almost right I should meet one someday.

"Pika-pik," Joey insisted, tugging on my pant leg. He wanted to leave now.

"Ok, we're going now," I assured him, extending my arm for him to leap up on my shoulder. With one last look at the carvings, I left the room. The torches went out as soon as I exited, and I took a deep breath. If I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could still feel Mewtwo's presence at my back, within my backpack.

Such an eerie thought did little to ease my fears.

"No regrets," I whispered, before taking Bluewave's Pokéball off my belt and approaching the water's edge.

I couldn't imagine that this was still only the beginning…

* * *

As soon as I touched down with Dragonite in Cerulean City, I instantly went to the Pokémon Center and began questioning everyone, asking if they had seen Sam. Most of them vaguely remembered seeing her leave, but other than that, nothing. I went to the Poké Mart as well, and the clerk's relating of Sam buying up a slew of supplies only served to worry me even more.

I was not a very happy Dragon Master.

"If she's in the Unknown Dungeon…" I began, but found I couldn't complete my thought. I didn't want to complete it. I… If anything happened to her…

"Excuse me…"

I turned at the sound of a little kid's voice, and forced a smile at the sight of a little boy sitting on a fence behind his house, a ball clutched in his hands. He smiled back, and asked, "Are you the Pokémon League Champion? Lance Scott, the Dragon Master?"

"Yes I am," I replied.

"My name's Justin," he said. "Um… I have a question to ask…"

I really wasn't in the mood to answer questions right now. I had more important things to worry about, like Sam! But I didn't have the heart to refuse. "Sure, what is it?"

"Do you… know what Mews are?"

I was surprised that he knew about them. "Yes… they're Legendary Pokémon. Few have ever seen them, but they are said to be one of the most powerful of all," I replied. Involuntarily, my thoughts went to Team Rocket's Mewtwo projects recently resolved by Pokémon League. I wondered exactly what Mews themselves thought of such a thing…

"They're pink and little, aren't they?"

"That's right."

Justin nodded. "Ok… thanks…"

"Hey, now I have a question for you," I told him. "Have you seen Samantha McPhoenix around here?"

"The Grand Master?"

"Yep."

He thought. "She's… got a Pikachu, right? And she has brown hair and sunglasses on, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. Did you see where she went?"

"Um… earlier today I did. She was nice, she waved at me. Then she went across the bridge that way…" He pointed to what trainers called "Nugget Bridge" north of town. "And then… I think I saw her over there." He pointed across the lake to the west of town, to the Unknown Dungeon's entrance.

My heart sank. "Oh… ok. Thank you," I told him, trying to hide the worry I felt inside.

"You're welcome…" Justin frowned a little bit. "Um… before you go… Lance… Do you think… I could have a Mew as a friend?"

"You mean, as your Pokémon?"

"Maybe…"

I smiled a little at his innocent question. "Well, it all depends if you're destined to become a partner of one. Only those chosen by destiny can own Legendary Pokémon. But… I would think that anyone could be a friend of one, if the Pokémon wanted you to be its friend."

"Really?"

"Sure. Why not?" I cast another glance over at the Unknown Dungeon, and then shook my head. "Well, sorry if I seem rude, but I really must go now. I'm… afraid Sam may be in trouble if I don't help her soon."

Justin cocked his head. "Even though she's the Grand Master, she could be in trouble?" he asked.

"Even though she's the Grand Master… she's still a kid," I said softly.

"Ok… Hope she'll be ok…"

I nodded. "I do too. Thank you." With that, I turned around and released Dragonite from his Pokéball, hopping upon his back in one smooth move. "To the Unknown Dungeon," I commanded. With a cry of affirmation, Dragonite instantly took off, and we were over at the cave's entrance in mere seconds (as opposed to the 10-15 minutes it would have taken to walk all the way around). I leaped off of his back before he even landed, and recalled him just as quickly.

"Sam?" I called, as I slowly entered the dark, menacing blackness. My voice echoed eerily, and I could hear something moving about in response. Perhaps wild Pokémon. I hated to disturb them, but… "Sam! Are you in here?"

No response. Apparently she was further down in the cave. With a sigh, I released one of my Dragonairs, and leaped upon her back as she floated down the underground stream deeper inside. I also instructed her to use Thunder Wave to light up the inside of the cave as well, which worked better than any flashlight could have.

"I hope she's ok," I said, more to myself than to Dragonair. "Even I don't know what's down here… Please be safe…"

"Dra…" Dragonair turned her head around to nuzzle my face, and I smiled at her gesture.

"Thank you, Dragonair…" I whispered, petting her head. But despite the reassurance, I was no less tense than I had been before.

Only having Sam safe and sound here with me would end my worrying.

* * *

Not more than ten minutes after I had left the chamber where Mewtwo and I battled, I was suddenly aware of the sound of wings… lots of flapping, rustling wings… The sound was unnoticeable at first, but after several minutes of walking back through the maze-like caverns, it started to become louder and louder. It creeped me out.

"Joey… what in the name of Moltres is that sound?" I finally asked, stopping in my tracks to look around.

Joey looked up, and pointed. "Pika!" he indicated.

I looked up also. "What…? Are those… Golbats?" I asked, getting a faceless screech in reply.

"Pi," Joey affirmed. "Pika-pi chu pik pika pikachu? (Want me to Thunderbolt them?)"

I shook my head, and continued onward. "Better not," I said. "We don't know how many of them are up there, and there's no need to attack them, anyway. Let's not waste our time or energy." I wasn't too partial to Golbats or Zubats, ever since an embarrassing and traumatizing episode that had occurred during my first trip through Mt. Moon. There, on attempting to capture a Zubat for my Pokémon collection, I had accidentally disturbed the entire colony and was sent screaming all the way through the rest of the cave by all of them. Not too cool…

But the more I traveled through the cave, the more I began to realize that the sounds only continued to get louder as I went on. Were they following me? The thought of getting all the blood sucked out of me by a flock of four-foot tall bat Pokémon with two-inch fangs was not very appealing to me. Every so often, I was distracted from this disturbing thought by an attack by a Rhyhorn, or a Graveler, or even a Gloom or two… But as soon as Bluewave knocked out the opponent, there those Golbats were again, flapping their wings and screeching at me.

I tried ignoring them for the greatest while, but they wouldn't leave. One or two even tried swooping at me, which unnerved me to no end. After about twenty minutes of wandering through the cave, getting more and more frustrated at each dead end I came to, I, true to the impatience of my Affinity of Fire, finally lost it. Something I quickly came to regret.

"Listen up, you Golbats!" I suddenly screamed, startling both Joey and Bluewave walking alongside me. The Poison/Flying-types all went silent. "I'm trying my very best to get out of your cave as fast as possible! Quit harassing me, and leave us alone! If you've got a point you want to make, then you can come down here and take it up in a battle! But stop following me!"

The cave echoed with my angry shouts, and the Golbats seemed to be squeaking quietly among themselves, deciding exactly what they ought to do. After a while, I heard a fluttering of wings, as most of the Golbat flock flew off. At the time, I thought all of the Golbats had left. So, satisfied with myself, I turned around and kept walking.

And that's when everything fell apart.

I heard an angry series of screeches, and, whirling around, I looked to see about five Golbats swooping down to take up my offer on a battle. Unfortunately… their idea of battle wasn't with my Pokémon…

…It was with me.

"Eeeeeeek!!!" I screamed (awkwardly), as the lead Golbat flew upon me, teeth bared and ready to bite me. I fell backwards to the ground, and squeezed my eyes shut in total, petrified fear.

"Pika-chu!!!" A crackling, bright light filled the air, and I opened my eyes to see the Golbat fall screeching to the ground from Joey's Thunderbolt attack. Joey himself leapt over the Golbat and in front of me, ready to defend me from the other Golbats that might follow. Further back, I saw Bluewave bravely trying to attack the others with his Ice Beam attack, but the bat Pokémon were quick to dodge each one (although Bluewave succeeding in knocking out one of the Golbat).

"Uh oh…" I muttered. "Big trouble… Joey, get ready for one more Thunderbolt, then we'll run. These Golbats have an advantage over us, since they can see in the dark a lot better. Ready?"

"Pika!" he nodded.

"Bluewave, return!" I cried, quickly recalling my Blastoise into his Pokéball before our opponents could rain more blows on him with their teeth and wings. "Now, Joey! Thunderbolt!"

"Pika…chu!!!!" With a great electrical surge, the Poison/Flying-types were sent screeching to the cave floor; two knocked out, the other struggling against the paralyzing effects of the Electric-attack.

"Let's go!" I commanded, quickly turning on my heel and running as fast as I could through the cave, trusting in my gut instincts to guide us the right way. Joey ran as fast as he could alongside me, using his sense of smell to try and detect the way as well.

Twisting and turning, hitting a dead end or two… but at long last, we found another staircase… a staircase that I recognized! We were getting to the beginning of the cave! My heart lifted at the realization of this, and, as one, our footsteps grew more hurried. I nearly stumbled on the stairs as I climbed them to the first basement floor in my excitement.

"We're almost there," I breathed. "Let's keep going."

As Joey and I rounded another corner… I nearly ran smack into a Rhyhorn, digging up rocks with its horn to eat. We both froze as the Rock/Ground-type turned to regard us with a lazy eye, wondering exactly just what our problem was. I sweatdropped nervously, backing away slowly so as not to agitate it. "Oops… s-sorry…" I stammered. "Don't mind me… we're just passing through…"

A swoosh of air, and I suddenly felt a searing pain across the back of my right leg, as something struck me from behind. I staggered and fell to the floor with a scream, instantly clutching at where I had been injured. It was a clean cut on my leg, trickling blood down into my sock and stinging unmercifully.

"Pika! Pika-pik pik! (Sam! Look out!)" Joey yelled, and I instantly looked up to see the two Golbats from before swooping around, screeching at me tauntingly. One of them must have sliced at me with its teeth… Talk about territorial Golbats…

"Give 'em a Thunderbolt!" I commanded.

Joey shook his head, urgently pointing behind me. "Pi! Pika pika! (No! Not them!)"

I turned around, and my blood ran cold at the sight of the Rhyhorn pawing the ground angrily, getting ready for a charge at me. Apparently I had frightened it by screaming, and now it was getting ready to attack. I forced myself up to my feet with a whimper, and backed away from it. "Easy there, big boy…" I tried to soothe, although my voice was trembling with fear at the exact same time.

"Pika-chu!!!" Another of Joey's Thunderbolts lit up the cave, knocking out another Golbat. The last one, however, was still unwilling to give up. It swooped down with amazing speed, its wings smashing into Joey hard and sending him flying backwards towards me. "Pika!" he cried in pain, looking badly hurt.

"Joey! Are you ok?" I quickly pulled out Bluewave's Pokéball with one hand, at the same time bending down to scoop up my little Pikachu.

"Rrrrhhhaa!" snorted the Rhyhorn, rearing up on its two hind legs for a moment before beginning its charge, one that made the entire cavern rumble with each and every step.

Sweat trickled down my forehead, but I quickly turned my head to see another turn in the maze of this cave. If I recalled, Rhyhorn could only charge in a straight line… My heart leaping into my throat, I blindly flung myself into the turn and out of the way of the Rhyhorn. The armored Pokémon blazed by me by a hair's breadth as it continued on, running head-on into the wall.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Gotta… get out of here…" I gasped, trying to walk as fast as I could on my leg, which throbbed agonizingly with every step I took. "Are… you ok?"

"Pi…" Joey looked hurt from the Wing Attack Golbat had used on him… I had to get out of here, and back to the Pokémon Center where all my Pokémon would be healed up… Had to…

"Screee!" I screamed again at the sound of Golbat diving at me once again, and I threw myself to the wall as it flew by. The claw on its wing tore into my upper right arm, and a warm feeling of blood was soon apparent up and down the entire arm. I gritted my teeth, holding Joey close and forcing myself to keep on running through the rest of the winding cave. I could hear Golbat's wings beating, as it stalked me… I felt like crying, but my fear was making me continue onward, instead of curling up in a corner and sobbing.

"Pi… ka…" In my arms, Joey was trying his best to try and move, so he could defend me. But no good… he was out of it. And I couldn't send out Bluewave in such a narrowed passage as the one we were in right now… I had to wait until there was more space. I came out into a more open area, one I vaguely remembered, but all I could think of was turning around and sending Bluewave out to defend me. I turned, lifting my arm back to throw the Pokéball…

… And screamed in pain, as the Golbat itself tackled me head-on. I was thrown backwards from the impact, hitting the ground with a sick sob and nursing my arm, where I had put it up to defend myself. Teeth marks, from where the Golbat's nasty fangs had scraped across it, were apparent in Joey's rapidly dimming Flash, sending even more blood down my arm. Joey and Bluewave's Pokéball had been thrown in two entirely different directions, leaving me utterly defenseless. The Golbat fluttered into view over me, looking quite keen on biting me and sucking my blood. I don't wanna die! I thought in horror, staring up at it fearfully. I closed my eyes, and braced myself for the bite that would take my life…

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!!!"

A familiar voice made me open my eyes, in time to see Golbat struck full-force with a bright and powerful Hyper Beam. The Poison/Flying-type was knocked out instantly; its eyes X's as it hit the far wall with a thud. I rolled over painfully and looked up to see…

"Lance!!!" I screamed, tears spilling down my face at the sight of the Dragon Master, as he ran towards me and threw his arms around me.

"Sam! My gosh… you're ok!" he gasped, sounding ready to bust out crying himself. "Girl… don't you ever do that again to me… you scared me to death…"

"Lance, I'm sorry…" I whispered, snuggling into his chest and bursting into sobs. "I… I didn't mean to worry you… I'm sorry…"

Lance shook his head, a kind smile lighting up his face. "Don't you worry anymore, ok? I've got you…" He tried to help me sit up, but I cried out in pain as he accidentally grabbed my arm where the Golbat had slashed me. "Sam! You're hurt! Did… did that Golbat get ya?"

I nodded, as he lifted me up carefully in his arms. "Lance… don't forget Joey… and Bluewave's Pokéball… They're on the floor somewhere…" I said, suddenly growing dizzy and sleepy…

"I won't forget them," he assured. "Dragonite! Find them!" The Dragon/Flying-type nodded and began to search carefully for my Pokémon. As it did, Lance began to carry me back towards the stairs that led up to the ground floor, all the while whispering soothing words in my ear. But… I couldn't hear him anymore….

My eyes slowly closed, and I felt myself drifting… far, far away…

* * *

Well… there you have it. The chapter where I'm practically killed by Golbats. (sweatdrops) I'm finally out of the Unknown Dungeon, with Mewtwo (aka Five-Star) in tow, but don't think that's the end of the story! Now I've gotta get him to like me… if that's possible… And don't forget about Mew (aka Minty)! Please review and tell me what you thought! Until next time…


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